Kingdom Hearts 4: New Light
by Kristen Verne
Summary: 20 years after the defeat of Xehanort, the heroes of light have wonderful lives and families. However, peace won't last. When the Guardians of Light vanish, it's up to their children to save the day and find them. Rated T for violence. I own nothing but my OCs!
1. Prologue

**Ladies and Gentlemen! I give you the sequel to my KH3 story!**

**I hope you all enjoy it!**

**I own nothing but my OCs:**

**Glacies, Brimstone, Ryô, Blaze, Yuyake, Patria, Pith, Justin, Xally, Hikari, Ignis, Kuro, Hara, Sera, Ivan, Vladimir, Cirrus, Briana, and any others!**

**All other rights belong to Disney, Square Enix, Dreamworks, Sullivan Bluth Sutdios, Amblin Entertainment, Rooster Teeth, Reki Kawahara, A-1 Pictures, DC Comics, Lucasfilms, Bones, and Artland!**

**Sasuke Kazekiri belongs to Yamichaos27! **

**Kingdom Hearts 4: New Light**

* * *

Excerpt from the journal of Jiminy Cricket:

_"I can hardly believe that twenty years have gone by. It feel like such a short time ago, we defeated Xehanort and restored balance to the worlds. Where did the time go?_

_It's been strange seeing people we've known since they were teenagers grow up. Sometimes it's hard to see them as anything but the young friends we knew back then. However, things have to change. _

_It looked as if everything would stay perfect, until 5 years ago. At that time, someone or something, did something and put a barrier around every single world. Whatever world you were on at the time, you were stranded. Thankfully, most everyone was on their homeworld when it happened; however, Riku and his family were here, in Disney Town. They've had to stay here since then. _

_We didn't know how long this barrier would last and, as the years passed, we wondered if it would ever leave. But, last night, the barrier broke off and the worlds became connected once more. _

_Is it a coincidence that this happened the night of the twenty-year anniversary of Xehanort's defeat? I do not know… _

_All I do know is, that now that the worlds are connected again, things can only go uphill from here…_

\- _Jiminy Cricket_

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**This is just the prologue!**

**I'll have the next chapter up soon**

**Please review!**

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**I'll start doing the devos next chapter as well. **


	2. Chapter 1: Home

**Hi guys! Thanks for all the support on this new story!**

**Enjoy the show!**

**I own all nothing but my OCs!**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Home**

* * *

(**Destiny Islands**)

Sora's eyes opened as he yawned; rolling over, he saw his wife, Kairi, sleeping peacefully. She stirred slightly as her husband brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Oh Sora…"

"What?" His lips brushed hers as Kairi's eyes opened. "Can't I be sweet early in the morning?"

"Yes, you can but, you have work." She giggled.

Sora kissed her once more, "Ok… I'll be back, though." He stood up and began to get dressed for work. "You have that book signing to do today, right?"

"Yes." She looked over at the clock, it read 5:58. "Two minutes…"

"Oh boy…"

The two minutes passed by and at 6 o'clock, on the mark, two noises came from upstairs. There was the sound of loud, screaming, rock music and the other was the soundtrack for the _Sound of Music_. This went on for five minutes, until the rock music stopped; a door opened, and then another door slammed open.

A female voice yelled. "TURN THAT JUNK OFF!"

"Junk!" a boy's voice retorted. "This is classical theater!"

"No one cares about boring theater music!"

"I care!"

"So what!"

Sora sighed, "I better go break that up." He went up the stairs and yelled. "Hey!" The other two voices stopped and two heads poked out of the second door. "Every single morning…! You two fight every morning. I can even count the very moment you two will start fighting. That's not ok." The two kids looked down. "I don't want to hear a peep out of either of you. Do I make myself clear!?"

"Yes sir…" the boy bit his lip.

"Fine…" the girl huffed.

* * *

Kairi poured herself a cup of coffee as her daughter came down stairs. "Morning Mom."

"What did your dad say?"

"He went to work." The girl tied her long, crimson hair in a ponytail. "So, what's the plan for the day?"

"Well, since the worlds are connected again, Riku's coming over tonight!"

"UNCLE RIKU'S COMING!"

Her brother came down the stairs. "Uncle Riku's coming!?"

"Yes he is, Pith." Kairi smiled at her children. "Now, he's not coming until later in the day and you two have things to do." She looked between the two. "Pith, you have theater auditions for _Fiddler on the Roof_ today. Patria… you have detention and then fencing practice."

Patria grinned. "Don't act like this detention is such a bad thing; this time it was only for me being tardy to stupid statistics class three days in a row. It's not like I got in a fight again."

Kairi sighed; where her daughter got her rebellious and violent tendencies from, she would never know. "Just… make sure you go…"

"Sure." Patria grabbed a piece of toast. "Let's go bro. School won't wait."

Pith grabbed his things and a banana. "Coming!" He followed her outside. As the two fourteen-year-olds passed a construction site, they walked right past a large hole. "Wha!" Pith cried out as his twin sister shoved him into the hole. "TRIA!"

"You should've watch where you were going, stupid." The girl waved and kept on walking. "Ciao!"

"Jerk!"

* * *

(**Disney Town**)

Riku walked through the snow, on his way home from patrol. As he passed through the town square, he paused.

A small, white, projectile flew towards him; Riku ducked, the snowball missing him by inches. He moved again and again to dodge four more snowballs. "If you kids want to hit me, you'll have to try harder." He ducked another one before using an Aero spell to knock snow off of a roof, onto some figures behind some bushes.

"Hey! No fair!"

"You ambush me, I defend myself and you say that I'm not being fair?"

The head of Max Goof poked out from behind the bush. "No! Using magic wasn't fair!"

"Really?" Riku laughed. "I didn't know there were rules. And besides, you kids shouldn't have revealed your positions."

The four nieces and nephews of Mickey and Minnie popped up beside the dog. "How did we do that?" Morty asked.

"You stayed in the same spot the entire time, and since you missed, I could see where you were throwing from.

Ferdie looked at his twin brother. "Aww man!"

"We should've thought of that," Millie and Melody huffed.

"Gotta say," a fat cat popped up beside them. "Good dodging, Riku."

"Thank you, PJ. Now, where is Kari…? Dof!" A large pile of snow fell on his head. "Never mind…"

A giggle sounded above him. "Hi there, Daddy!" Riku's nine-year-old daughter looked down on him from the roof above him.

"Ok… I admit, that was a good plan."

Hikari climbed down and smiled at her dad. "PJ thought it up! He's the best!" The cat came over, blushing heavily.

"Well, good job, PJ!" the man smiled, "it was a genius plan."

Hikari hugged her friend. "I definitely picked the greatest best friend!"

"Yea…" PJ looked down, "Best friend…"

Max cringed and mumbled. "Oh… friendzoned…"

"Ok." Riku placed his hand on Hikari's shoulder. "We need to get home. Hara's cooking dinner."

"See you guys later!"

The father and daughter walked down the main road to a restaurant called 'Destiny Café'. As they pushed through the doors, many familiar faces met them. They went through the dining area to the kitchen and up the stairs in the back. Up the stairs was the family's apartment.

"Hara!" Riku opened the door at the top and saw his wife sitting on the couch. "We're back!"

His wife, smiled. "Welcome home! Dinner's in the oven."

"Dada! Ka'i!" Kuro, the 18-month boy came tottering over to his father. "Car'y me!"

Riku smiled. "Ok, kiddo!" He picked him up and began to tickle him. "Is this what you wanted? Is it?" The only answer Kuro gave was laughter.

Once the tickling ended, Hikari and Kuro played on the floor. "Riku, what time are you going to go see Sora and Kairi?"

"I'll leave in about 2 hours."

"Why won't you let me come too?" Hikari whined, brushing back one of her blonde bangs.

"You have a test at school tomorrow. You, Kuro, and Mom will come tomorrow night." Riku responded. "They'll still be there."

Hara looked up as the oven beeped. "You can finish packing after dinner. Why don't you get out some plates; Kari, would you please put Kuro in his high-chair and then get drinks?"

"Yes, Mommy."

* * *

(**Radiant Garden**)

"LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

Everyone cheered as the red-haired girl pressed play and loud, electronic music filled the room. "You got this, Blaze!"

The girl, Blaze, adjusted her headphones as she began working with her turntables. "Time to drop the base, harder than ever…" she told herself. The crowd of teenagers cheered as she started a build-up in the music.

At the drop a boy's voice called out. "WELCOME TO FIRE BRIGHT!"

"Let's get it!"

Two boys leapt out of the shadows and stood on either side of Blaze. "Let's go!" Brimstone, Blaze's older brother pushed back his, super-spiky, brown hair. The other boy, Ryô, whipped his blonde hair, making the girls in the crowd scream.

"PARTY TIME!"

* * *

The trio of performers began cleaning up as all of their fans trickled out of the secret performance hall. "Brim, you were off a little on that last song, vocal-wise."

"Really sis?" Brimstone huffed.

"Chill, Brim," Ryô rolled up an extension cord, "You know she's just messing with you."

"Must've been one heck of a show."

The kids turned. "Dad/Uncle Lea!"

"Yep," the pyro leaned on the wall, looking at the trio. "You know, you're going to have to chill out with these concerts. All of your fans have school, work, and other responsibilities that they ditch to come here."

"'Cause they'd rather be here than doing that boring stuff."

Lea sighed. "We'll discuss this later. Time for you three to get home; you all have school tomorrow."

"Fine…"

Following the man out, Blaze and Brim continued after him with Ryô heading towards his home. "Look, Dad. We're not kids anymore, you don't have to keep coming in and messing things up."

"Blaze, don't give me that attitude!" her dad snapped. His eyes narrowed as his daughter rolled her eyes. "If you're going to do that, you can live without your turntables for a week."

Blaze's jaw dropped. "DAD! You're not serious!"

"I'm very serious. Look, we'll talk about this later."

Brim bit his lip as he mumbled. "Looks like Blaze is tuneless for a week…"

"I heard that!"

Lea sighed and muttered sarcastically. "Sera's gonna love this…"

* * *

Ryô walked to his own house. As he opened the door, his dad looked over from his soccer game. "You're back! How did the party go?"

"Good, other than Uncle Lea coming in after and chewing us out."

Ventus looked at his son and then turned towards the kitchen. "Naminé, sounds like our son got in trouble."

"Oh, really," the blonde woman came out of the kitchen. "Ry, what did you do?"

"Apparently, no one tells anyone that we have a party and they all ditch their stuff to come. We didn't mean for that to be a problem but…"

"Son," Ven stood up, "you'll have to start announcing publically and in advance to let people know."

"I understand… I don't want trouble."

"We know you don't," his mom smiled, "Now, why don't you wash up and help me with dinner?"

"OK!"

* * *

(**Twilight Town**)

Roxas looked up as his son came bolting down the stairs; the boy stopped at the wall mirror, and whipped his head to the side, his black hair falling perfectly into place.

As the boy ran out, Roxas looked at his wife. "That kid…"

"What're we going to do with him?"

Yuyake ran up the stairs to the top of the clock tower. "Max! You here?"

"Where ya been, Yake?" A brown-haired girl sat on the edge of the tower. "I thought you'd forgotten."

"Sorry, I had a cowlick."

The girl laughed. "You care more about your hair than I do!"

"Hey, I've gotta look good, if for no one else, then for you." They both blushed. "Maxine… you know, there's that festival tomorrow… and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me?"

Maxine gasped. "Oh, Yuyake! I'd love to!" She wrapped her arms about his neck.

He, in turn put his arms around her waist. "I hoped you would say that."

Their faces drew nearer, and as their lips were about to meet, someone cleared their throat behind them. The two jumped and saw a man in a brown trench coat; he held a small, cocked crossbow in one hand and was twirling the bolt in the other hand. "Hello, you two…"

"Mr. Reach!" Yuyake's voice cracked as he released Maxine and shrunk back.

"Young Mr. Mukxo, did I or did I not see you just try and kiss my daughter?"

"Oh my gosh!" the girl stood up, "Dad! Can't you just leave us alone!?"

Jeremiah Reach grinned at his child. "Nope! Now, Yuyake, why don't you run along home and I don't want to see you trying to kiss my daughter again."

"Y… yes sir!" He didn't want to walk past Jeremiah to leave and there was only one other exit.

Grabbing a cord attached to the wall of the tower, Yuyake attached it to his belt loop and leapt off the tower. As he fell, he gripped the parachute cord and swung himself which lessened the strain when he, abruptly, ran out of rope. "Love the escape rope." His eyes looked up where he saw Maxine and her dad looking down at him; the boy blew the girl a kiss before unhooking the rope.

He dropped onto the rooftop below and took off running. There was a balcony on the next building so, the boy jumped, grabbing the balcony. He jumped onto a ledge from there and then leapt to the ground.

"Oh yea!" He looked at the way he'd come and grinned. "Thank you parkour gym!"

* * *

(**Land of Departure**)

"Dad… Are you sure I'm ready?"

"Glacies, I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't sure." Terra smiled at his daughter. "Stop doubting yourself."

The girl brushed her brown and cerulean hair behind her ear. "I just… I don't think I'm ready."

"Come on, you can do this."

He led her into the throne room; Aqua smiled at her daughter and husband from her throne as she held her three-year-old son in her lap. "Ignis, go stand over by Xally." She placed the toddler on the floor and he tottered over to the other two apprentices.

"Come on Glace!" The other girl called.

The boy beside her smiled and nodded. "You can do this."

Glacies took a deep breath as she went and stood before her parents. Terra looked at her with proud eyes and gentle smile. "Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. This is nothing more than a test of heart and during this test, the nature of your powers will be revealed. I trust that you are ready."

"Y… yes…" However, she doubted greatly.

"Then, let the exam begin." The same orbs of light, from all other exams, appeared. The girl attacked them with vigor and easily destroyed them.

Aqua stood and came down from her throne. "Glacies, you did well. Now we will do the next trial; you will face me in combat. However, this is not a competition for only truths will be revealed." She smiled as her daughter, took a battle stance. "Begin!"

The mother and daughter clashed, Glacies dancing nimbly about, coming in for swift strikes and landing them most of the time. It was only a short time before Aqua held up her hand to end the match. She smiled and walked back to her throne.

"I know the outcome…" Glacies muttered to herself. "I won't pass. I'm not ready to be a master."

Terra stood once more. "We have deliberated and reached a decision. Glacies, you have performed admirably, and we are very proud to name you Keyblade Master!"

"What!?" The girl was in shock. She didn't deserve this; she wasn't ready."

Her parents looked on with proud eyes; their oldest child was now a master. It was a wonderful thing, yet they felt almost sad because it showed that their little girl was growing up. "Congratulations, Master Glacies."

"Yea!" Ignis clamped onto his sister's leg. "Glace is a mas'er!"

"It's so exciting!" Xally giggled wildly as she hugged the older girl.

Justin merely smiled and nodded. "Great job, Master Glacies!"

Terra and Aqua looked down at the four children. "The worlds are unsealed and we have a new Keyblade master. What could be better?"

"Peace, for the rest of our days," Terra responded.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that…"

* * *

_Little did anyone know, but peace… those twenty years of peace would not last another day…_

* * *

**Ladies and Gentlemen! I give you KH4: New Light!**

**Please review!**

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**I'm going to do little bios for each of the new characters to help you guys get a grasp on who they are…**

**Patria Kumo (Tria): **_14 year old daughter of Sora and Kairi. Twin sister of Pith, but older by five minutes. She has long hair, the same color as her mother's, which she usually keeps in a ponytail. Her eyes are the same blue as Sora's. She has a very short temper and doesn't mind getting in trouble. {Voice Actor- Jennette McCurdy}_

**Pith Kumo: **_14 year old son of Sora and Kairi. Twin brother of Patria; they are fraternal and look nothing alike. He has spikey hair, much like his dad's and the very same color. His eyes are the same indigo as his mom's. He usually keeps it pinned down under a green beanie. He is much calmer than his sister and has great skills in acting. {Voice Actor- Eddie Redmayne}_

**Hikari Tsuchi (Kari): **_9 year old, adopted, daughter of Riku and Hara. She is the older sister of Kuro. Her bangs and the front of her hair is blonde, but the back is pink; she has teal eyes. Her hair is usually in a ponytail. She is full of light and is always joyful and very friendly. {Voice Actor- Tara Strong}_

**Kuro Tsuchi: **_18 month old son of Riku and Hara. His older sister is Hikari. He has olive-colored skin, short silver hair, and bright brown eyes. He's very curious and adventurous, often getting into trouble by digging around in places he shouldn't. _

**Brimstone Fahrenheit (Brim): **_16 year old son of Lea and Sera. He is the older brother of Blaze. He has hair a little shorter than his dad's, except it's a dark brown. His eyes are a brilliant green. He is the songwriter for the singing group, Fire Bright, and is a prankster. {Voice Actor- Nolan North}_

**Blaze Fahrenheit: **_15 year old daughter of Lea and Sera. She is the younger sister of Brimstone and is three months younger than her friend, Ryô. Her short, wavy hair is a fiery red and his eyes are the same brilliant green as her brother's and dad's. She makes the music for Fire Bright, and has a short temper. {Voice Actor- Bella Thorne} _

**Ryô Caelum (Ry): **_15 year old son of Ventus and Naminé. He is an only child but, is two months older than his friend, Blaze. He has spikey blonde hair, a little shorter than his dad's and indigo eyes. He is the choreographer for Fire Bright and is a peacemaker who would rather negotiate than fight. {Voice Actor- Sterling Knight} _

**Yuyake Mukxo: **_15 year old son of Roxas and Xion. He is an only child. He has windswept black hair and indigo eyes. He is known as the most handsome guy in Twilight Town, but he already has a girlfriend. He is also great at parkour and free-running. {Voice Actor- Matt Lanter}_

**Maxine Reach: **_15 year old daughter of Jeremiah and Olette. She is an only child. She has short brown hair and brown eyes. She is Yuyake's girlfriend and is just as good as him at parkour and free-running. {Voice Actor- Tania Gunadi}_

**Glacies Petra (Glace): **_18 year old daughter of Terra and Aqua. She is the oldest out of four kids, two of which are adopted. She has short brown hair that is streaked with cerulean and blue eyes. She is humble and often doubts her own abilities, selling herself short of what she is truly capable of. {Voice Actor- Idina Menzel}_

**Justin Chapel: **_12 year old, adopted, son of Terra and Aqua. He is a former Jedi apprentice and is capable of using the Force in combat. He has short brown hair and brown eyes. He is stoic and calm, showing minor emotions. He continues to keep close to the Jedi code, though he is no longer one of their students. {Voice Actor- Jason Liebrecht}_

**Xally Chapel (Xal): **_11 year old, adopted, daughter of Terra and Aqua. She is a former Jedi apprentice and is capable of using the Force in combat. She has shoulder-length orange hair and brown eyes. She is hyper and silly, often over exaggerating things. She has drifted away from the Jedi code and only keeps some of the rules, some of the time. {Voice Actor- Lacey Chabert}_

**Ignis Petra: **_3 year old son of Terra and Aqua. He is the youngest biological child. He has spikey cerulean hair and blue eyes. He is excited about learning to use the Keyblade, often attempting to join in the training when he can barely life the wooden practice swords. {Voice Actor- Kyle Harrison Breitkopf}_

* * *

**Training Up**

We see how all the characters we know have grown up and are parents now. Their children are the stars of this story.

Good or bad things can come from how a child is raised. Many of us aren't parents yet and won't be for some time, however, some may be. The bible tells us ways to raise our children in a good and Godly manner.

Proverbs 22:6 says, "_Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it._"

Teaching our children the right way to live is the first step; you've heard the saying "Do as I say, not as I do". That is not the way we should handle it. If we are parents, we should model the way our children should live, not through our words alone, but through our actions.

Even if you're not parents, younger children, such as neighbors and siblings look up to us. We should do the same as parents and show those younger than us the right way to live. It is our responsibility to them.


	3. Chapter 2: It Begins

**Hi guys.**

**I was hesitant to post this chapter; I wasn't sure it was very good… it may just be my head talking after a certain review was posted on this story. **

**I don't know…**

**Ok… **

**I own nothing but my OCs!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: It begins**

* * *

Sora sat at his desk, finishing up a report, when his phone rang. He took one look at the caller ID and groaned. "Great…" Answering the phone with a, less than enthusiastic tone, he said. "Hello, you've reached Detective Sora Kumo."

_"Hello, Mr. Kumo. This is Mrs. Skinner from Destiny High School, but I guess you already know that._"

"I knew, Hannah… so, what's the damage this time?"

_"Three black eyes, a couple of knocked out teeth, and a broken nose… and by broken nose, I mean, we had to call an ambulance."_

Sora groaned, his head hitting his desk. "I'll be there in about ten minutes." He hung up and stood, going to his boss's office. "Chief, I've gotta go. It's about Patria… again…"

"Of course." Chief Gippal gave him a look of pity. "And, you might want to remind your daughter that, if she keeps this up, she could be charged for assault in the near future."

"I know… I know…"

* * *

As Sora entered the school office, he saw Patria leaning back in a chair. He was a little surprised; this was the first time she'd gotten in a fight and had the wounds to prove it. She had a black eye and a bruised cheek.

"Tria…"

Without looking at him, the girl answered. "You should see the other guys."

"I heard. You broke some guy's nose."

"He had it coming," she simply said. "And anyways, this should be put under self-defense. They hit first and continued to try and hit me. So, I hit back."

"I don't know if it could be considered self-defense since you beat them into bloody pulps," Mrs. Skinner came out of her office. She beckoned them both inside. "So, Miss Kumo, care to tell us what happened?"

The girl crossed her arms and slumped into the chair. "They were picking on the new kid and I told them to back off; I may be mean, but I'm not a bully. They didn't back off, the leader punched me twice, and you know the rest. I didn't start this one."

"I understand you didn't, but nevertheless, I'm going to have to take disciplinary action. If you hadn't hurt them as bad, this could've been self-defense. However, when you give three boys black eyes, knock two teeth out, and shatter the bridge of one of their noses, it's not called self-defense anymore." The principal looked at the girl's father. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kumo, but your daughter is suspended for three days, she will not be allowed on campus and she is still required to do all of her work."

"I understand."

Mrs. Skinner fixed Patria with her green eyes. "Patria, you must understand, if there is one more infringement like this, I will have to send you to an alternative school."

The girl said nothing, only nodded. Sora sighed. "Hannah, is there a place where Tria and I can talk, privately?"

She led them to the copy room. "I'll give you the rest of her work when you're done."

"Thank you." As soon as the door closed, Sora turned on his daughter. "Patria Naminé Kumo! What are you doing? First detention, now you're suspended, and they might be sending you to an alternative school! Do you understand!? Tria… if you keep fighting like this, you could be charged with assault! I don't want to see you on the other side of prison bars! Please…" His voice grew soft. "I'm only trying to help you. Please, stop this. I don't understand; why do you do this? Please, help me understand. I can help you…"

"No… you can't…" Patria looked down, arms crossed.

"What?"

She looked at him. "Dad, no one can help me. No one will understand…"

"Then help me understand. I'm only trying to help." He pulled her into a hug. "Tria, I love you and I don't want you to go down a dark path, please understand."

"I do, Dad, but I have to be this way… I can't tell you why, but I have to."

Sora sighed. "I wish you would tell me."

Patria let go and walked out of the room, leaving Sora alone.

* * *

"Why won't she tell you?"

"I don't know, Kai."

Kairi crossed her arms. "If she won't tell us, maybe she'll talk to Riku. He'll be here in ten minutes."

"Maybe…" Sora hoped his friend could help; his daughter's anger issues, concerned him greatly.

* * *

Sora jumped as a knock sounded on the door. He ran over and tore the door open. "RIKU!"

"Hey!" The silver-haired man embraced his friend. "It's been too long!"

"Five years to be exact. Man! It's good to see you!"

Riku stepped back. "Now, where's Kairi?"

"Riku!" The woman came around the corner and hugged her dear friend. "Oh, it's so good to see you again!"

The man smiled. He looked around. "Good to see you too. Now, where are the twins?"

"Pith's at play auditions and Patria's at fencing practice."

Riku smiled at his two great friends. "Well then, why don't we catch up?"

* * *

Pith followed his twin silently; he, like everyone else at school, knew about the fight. "Sis… you doin' ok?"

"I'm fine… leave me alone."

He came up beside her. "Come on, sis. Don't shut me out."

"What part of 'leave me alone' don't you understand, stupid?!" She shoved him away.

Pith never understood why his twin was so violent. He just lived with it and tried to help her through what he could. "Come on, sis… please."

"I'll tell you what I told Dad. You wouldn't understand and no one can help me. It's nothing personal, Pith." She looked at him and, for the first time in a long time, he saw sorrow. That feeling was there for and instant, and then it vanished. "Come on! Uncle Riku's gonna be at our house!"

Pith knew that this was just to change the subject. He would have to bring this up again later.

* * *

Riku looked up as the door opened and the twins entered. Their school bags dropped off their shoulders as they ran towards him. "UNCLE RIKU!" The man stood up and embraced them.

"Hey you two! It's so good to see you!"

The group of them sat on the couches. "So, where's the rest of your family?"

"Hara and the kids are going to be coming tomorrow."

"That's awesome!" Sora grinned. "Wait… did you say kidS as in plural?"

"I did…"

Kairi smiled brightly. "Please say you have a picture!"

Riku pulled out a photo from his pocket and handed it to them. "This is Kuro. He's 18 months old right now."

"Oh!" Patria cooed. "He's such a cutie!"

"Thanks!"

The five talked and ate, catching up on five years' worth of life.

* * *

Sora, Riku, and Kairi sat together in the living room; it was getting late and the kids were getting ready for bed. "So, you want me to talk to Patria about this violence problem?"

"We don't know what else to do… if she gets in another fight they'll send her to an alternative school."

Riku crossed his arms. "I'll see what I can do…" He froze, eyes darting about.

"Riku, is something wrong?"

"I don't know…" he stood, "It's just… something doesn't feel right."

Sora looked at his friend. "Riku, if this is a jo..."

With a sudden bang, the front door burst off its hinges.

"What!?"

They summoned their Keyblades as something moved in the night outside, coming towards the door.

* * *

Patria lay on her bed, reading her favorite comic book, when her door opened. "What do you want, bro?"

"Sis, can we talk?" She nodded. "Now, why don't you tell me what's been going on."

"I told you…"

Pith pulled the comic book away from her. "I know what you told me, and I don't care. You've been so angry for years and I want to help you get away from that."

"Oh," she sat up, glaring at him. "And you don't have issues too. It's been over five years and you're still not over her."

"This isn't even close to that, and you know it!"

Patria sighed. "Pith… please, just drop it. I've got it under control."

"Sis, I don't…"

A loud bang came from downstairs, startling the siblings. "What's going on?!"

They took off down the stairs but, what was left of the front door, blocked the hall. "Mom! Dad!"

"Patria! Pith!" Sora's voice called out. "Stay upstairs!"

"No!"

Kairi called out, her voice thick with a fear they'd never heard before. "Please! Stay back!" The kids drew back as a barrier spell blocked off the entrance to the main room.

"No!" Patria banged on the barrier. "Don't do this!" She froze as she heard yelling, grunting, and cries of pain on the other side. "MOM! DAD!"

"UNCLE RIKU! What's going on!?"

The older of the twins began, violently, punching the barrier. Hitting it until her knuckles began to bleed. "Let me through!"

"Tria! Wait!" Pith grabbed her fist.

"What are you doing!? We have to get in there and help!?"

Her brother's face was a mask of calm horror. "Listen… what do you hear?"

"What are you…?" she froze and listened. The noises of turmoil and battle were gone, and all that was left… was silence.

"Dad…"

"Mom…"

"Uncle…" both of them listened, but heard nothing. As if to add to their fearful curiosity, the barrier suddenly vanished before their eyes. Pith moved forward and pushed down the wooden door.

They both gasped as they beheld their living room, or what was left of it. Everything was broken or shattered, everything but two small objects; these objects were things that their parents never went anywhere without. Patria picked up her mom's wayfinder, while Pith picked up his dad's crown necklace.

"Do you think they're outside?"

"I… I don't… I don't know…"

Patria ran to the door and looked around in the night. "MOM! DAD!" To her dismay, there was no answer.

"You don't think they could be…"

"Don't even think that! They're fine, I'm sure of it!" However, even she doubted her own words.

Her brother reached down and picked up a family photo, pulling it out from behind the shattered glass of the picture frame. His eyes lifted up and he stared. "Huh? Tria, look!"

"What?" The twins saw a bright orb of light floating in the middle of the room. "What is it?"

"Who knows…?" Pith grabbed his sister's hand as she reached out for it. "Tria, be careful!"

"Hey, it might be a clue to where mom and dad went." Her hand touched the orb.

They both yelped as a brilliant light engulfed them…

* * *

_"The King is missing!"_

_"Mom! Are you alright? What happened to Dad?" _

_"Dad! Mom! Where are you?"_

_"Uh… what happened? Hey… where'd they go? Mom! Dad!"_

_"Mommy! Daddy! W'ere dey go?"… "I don't know…" _

**_It has begun…_**

* * *

**Ok, I know this is short but, I wanted to leave some suspense.**

**I also… I don't know why, but, as of yesterday, didn't like this chapter… It may have had something to do with a certain review. **

**Please review!**

* * *

**Words**

I know I've done this devo before and it doesn't have much to do with the chapter, but I feel like it needs to be said, after a certain review was posted.

We say things, sometimes without thinking, or we say them intentionally. Sometimes we act as if words are nothing, when, in actuality, they hurt more than anything.

We need to watch our words. James 3:9-10 says, _"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be." _

We should watch what we say, for words can either break or heal a heart.

James also says in 3:6. _"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."_

Our words can hurt others and ourselves. To quote a certain rabbit in a Disney movie, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say nothing at all."

Our words can cause others to become hurt and the consequences for what we say can hurt us.

So, just watch what you say.


	4. Chapter 3: The Search Starts

**Hi!**

**First of all, I would like to say thank you to all those who came along beside me concerning that review. Thank you all for the encouragement, it really means a lot. **

**Secondly, the cover picture for this story, right now, is Patria. I'll be changing the picture to a different one of the kids each time I update. **

**I only own my OCs!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Search Starts**

* * *

Patria opened her eyes, finding herself lying on a bed of grass. "What the heck was that…?"

"I told you to be careful."

"You wanna get punched!?"

Pith sat up. "Seriously, Tria, this is not the time." He looked up. "Hey, are we…?"

"Oh yea!"

They were on a small piece of land with a tall, twisted tower with crescent moons decorating the top of the tower. "If Mom and Dad described it right then, this place is Master Yen Sid's tower!" The twins stood and slowly went towards the door.

"Ok, this proves my theory!" Patria smirked. "Mom and Dad were attacked and they came here to get answers and left that light behind to bring us here too!"

Pith didn't really believe that. "How can you be so violent and so optimistic at the same time?"

"It's a gift." She pushed the door open and they went inside.

* * *

Master Yen Sid turned as the door to his study opened. "So, you have arrived."

The twins came inside, looking around in awe at the new surroundings. Pith spoke first. "Wait, you knew we were coming?"

"I was the one who opened a path for you to come here."

"So, it was you who sent that light, and not our parents," Patria sighed. "Did they ask you to?"

The old master sat down in his chair, stroking his beard. "No, I brought you here for your own safety and to tell you what has happened." His grim tone made the two's spirits fall. "You witnessed one of many attacks, all at the same exact time, and all directed at a guardian of light."

"So the other guardians were attacked too?"

"Yes, and the outcomes have all been the same." His eyes closed. "They have all been taken… Where and by whom, I do not know."

Patria's eyes widened. "What!? They've been taken! Bu… but who could do that!?"

"I do not know…" he shook his head. "Patria, Pith, I must tell you, what I am asking of you is going to be hard and dangerous, but, I believe that you are both ready." He stood up and came around his desk, standing in front of them. "Your parents requested that I do this, to prepare you both, should something like this happen."

"Do what?"

He held out his hands and their chests began to glow; a symbol, like a heart with a diamond in the middle appeared and shattered. "Your parents requested that I seal off your Keyblades. They wished for you to learn how to fight and other things before you took on the burden of the Keyblade. Hold out your hands."

Patria thrust out her hand eagerly; Pith was a little calmer than his sister. Master Yen Sid waved his hand over theirs and, in a flash of light, two Keyblades appeared.

He stepped back and allowed them to admire their new weapons. Patria looked down at the thin sword; it reminded her of the rapiers of the old days with its ornate gold guard and silver blade, but, near the tip was a pink heart that stuck out on both sides to give the sword balance. The keychain was two crossing rapiers. She smiled as the name "Fencing Fury" came into her mind.

Pith's Keyblade was more colorful with its gold and red striped shaft; the guards looked like two rolled up sheets of parchment with the keychain as a feather pen. The blade itself was a mask with one half as tragedy and the other as comedy. The name "Dramatic Fighter" came to his mind.

"I do not know if your parents would believe that you are ready, but I believe that you are. Though I could not contact any of you I have been watching you and all the other children and, though each of you may have their own issues and troubles, I believe each of you are ready, in your own way."

"Wait!" Pith looked at him. "Are you asking us to…?"

The wizard nodded. "I am asking you, to gather the children of the guardians and search for your parents. Now, I do not want you to get too involved; avoid combat, for you are only there to find where they are. When you find them, go to Radiant Garden. They will mount a rescue operation."

"You don't want us to fight…?"

"Ok," Patria dismissed Fencing Fury, hand on her hip. "Find them and report their location, no problem."

Pith looked at his twin; she had that look in her eyes again… "Tria…"

"But, how are we supposed to get to other worlds?" The girl cut him off. "We don't have gliders or anything close to that?"

Master Yen Sid walked over to a shelf and picked up a star-shaped object. "This star-shard will take you directly to Disney Town. You can get a gummi ship from there."

"Thank you, Master!" She grabbed the object and her brother. "We better get started, we'll find them in no time! Thanks!" She dragged Pith out the door.

The old man's eyes closed. "I do hope you do not rely on your lies, Patria…"

* * *

"You just lied to him… you really just lied to him…"

"Just come on." She looked at the star-shard. "Mom and Dad are counting on us."

"You still lied!" Pith glared. "I know you; you can't stay out of fights. You'll fight every monster and villain we meet."

The girl grinned. "Oh yes! Now, let's go get some reinforcements and find our parents!"

"Tria…" He closed his eyes as his sister activated the star-shard. "Not yet…!"

* * *

Hikari sat on the castle steps, wiping the tears from her eyes. Why did this happen? King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were all missing; they'd vanished in the night, right after she'd sensed a very strong darkness. She hoped her dad was alright.

Her eyes lifted up as a light shot down from the sky. "Dad!"

"Kari! What's up?" PJ got to his feet and came lumbering after her.

"I think my Dad's back!" She ran towards the Rumble Racing track. Lying by the entrance were two teenagers. Hikari's face fell. "I guess I was wrong… wait!" Her eyes widened. "Patria! Pith!"

The two looked up at her, recognition filling their faces. "Kari!"

PJ cocked his head. "Who?"

"These are my cousins… well, not really but we call ourselves cousins!"

Patria picked herself up. "That's right."

The girl looked around. "Are you parents coming? What about my dad?"

"Well," Patria looked down and Pith adverted his gaze. "That's kind of why we're here… is Aunt Hara around, and Queen Minnie?"

PJ nodded. "They're both at the castle, trying to figure out what to do about the king's disappearance."

The two looked at each other. "We need to talk to them, and to you, Kari." This made the younger girl's smile fade.

"Uh, I better go home. Mom's probably got lunch ready," PJ said, sensing the tension in the air.

"Ok… see you later."

* * *

Hikari pushed the library door open, causing her mom and the queen to look up. "Your Majesty, we've got visitors and they say that they've got something to tell you." She led the two into the room.

"Is that… Patria, Pith?"

"Aunt Hara…" the twins looked at her with smiles, but it dropped quickly.

The queen gave a weary smile. "Patria and Pith…? Oh, you're Sora and Kairi's children." The twins nodded. "Hikari says you have something to say…"

"We just finished talking to Master Yen Sid," the younger twin said. "He told us everything. All the guardians of light… King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Mom, Dad,… Riku, and all the others were taken. We don't know where or who."

Hara's eyes began to water at the mention of her husband; Hikari gave a tiny gasp and covered her mouth. Minnie closed her eyes as a tear slipped from the corner of one. "And… w… why are you two here…?"

"Master Yen Sid wants all the children of the guardians to scout for our parents. Nothing dangerous, just scouting. He sent us here to get a ship and to pick up Hikari for that job."

The young girl looked up. "Yes! If it means helping find my dad, I'll definitely help!"

"No!" Hara stood up, "I will not allow her or any of you to put yourselves at risk. I don't care if it was Yen Sid who sent you, I will not allow any of you to do anything like that! Riku and the others are fine, I'm sure of it. They'll come back..."

The kids looked at each other. "Really? We're not joking; he wants us to…"

"I don't care! None of you are going and that's final!"

* * *

"Your mom is too protective." Patria huffed.

Hikari held her baby brother in her arms. "She's just worried; I know she won't change her mind, though."

Pith looked at his sister, noticing the sneaky glint in her eyes. "Tria… you're not thinking of…"

"Kari, can you fly a gummi ship?" The girl nodded. "Ok, that's all I needed to know. We leave tonight."

"But my mom…"

"Will not know until we're gone," Patria grinned. "Just pack up some stuff and meet us at the gummi hanger at midnight. We'll head off and go find AND rescue our parents."

Hikari didn't look comfortable with the idea. "I… I don't know…"

"KARI!" PJ came running towards them, fear filling his face.

"PJ, what's wrong?"

The cat huffed, looking around frantically. "When's your dad coming back? I need his help."

The girl closed her eyes. "My dad's missing…"

"But, we'll help you," Pith cut in. "My sister and I are Keyblade wielders too."

"So am I," Hikari added.

PJ took a deep breath before speaking. "It's my dad… he's back."

"Your dad?" Patria asked.

Hikari explained. "PJ's dad is Pete, the same one our parents fought. He's always been mean to PJ and treats him poorer than his mom and sister. That's why my dad has been watching over PJ for five years; he sees him as another son."

"Oh Daddy!" They turned and saw a small cat with two orange pigtails grinning at them. "I found him!"

"That's my girl, Pistol!" The kids stared as the large, lumbering, familiar form of Pete came around a corner.

Hikari turned to her best friend. "PJ, hold Kuro." She handed him the baby, who slept contentedly, unaware of the chaos, soon to erupt. Kari turned back to Pete. "Go away!"

"That's rude. I only came to see my boy and not I find him avoiding me and hanging out with some kiddies." Pete smirked, his eyes showing his true intent.

Pistol looked up at her dad. "Daddy, you may not know, but that girl is Riku's daughter."

"Oh really," Pete glared at his son, "Leaving your old man to spend time with my enemies' kid… what a way to break a father's heart."

PJ trembled. "Please, leave me alone…"

Patria summoned her Keyblade. "Back off Pete!"

"Yea, leave him alone." Pith joined her, ready to defend the poor kid.

Hikari held out her hand. "If you don't, we'll be forced to make you." A light engulfed her hand as a Keyblade appeared. The shaft was purple wrapped in two sparkling streams of yellow that lead into two stars at the blade, with a forth one sticking out; the guard was two shooting stars circling one another and the Keychain was a shooting star.

Pete's smirk dropped. "So, you wanna pick a fight, aye? I'll happily oblige." PJ and Pistol both backed off as Pete held up his hand. "Heartless squad! Round up!" But nothing happened. "Huh?"

"Ha! Guess you forgot that the Cornerstone of Light keeps this world Heartless-free!"

"Doh! Then I'll take you on myself!" He balled his fists and ran at them, punching. The three dodged and Patria bared her Keyblade and thrust it straight into Pete's back, falling back on her fencing training. Pith came in for a quick strike, coming in under the punches and slashing at him; the broadswords training he'd taken for one of his plays was coming in handy. Hikari took a stance exactly like her dad's and launched a Pearl spell at the cat.

"Eat this!" The younger girl hit Pete in the face, not very hard, for she was not strong, but it was enough.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" They all stopped, seeing Queen Minnie and Hara standing nearby. "Pete, you were banished. Mickey and I allowed you to come back only to see your family, but attacking others is out of the question. Get out of our world before I have you thrown out."

The cat glared at her and then at his son. "Don't think I'll forget about this, Pete Jr. I'll come back and you'll regret siding with them." He summoned a dark corridor and turned to his daughter. "Wanna come with, Pistol?"

"Oh yea!" The father and daughter disappeared through the portal.

Hara ran over and took her son from PJ. "I knew something like this would happen…"

"All the more reason to let us go find Riku and the others." Pith said.

"We can handle ourselves."

Hara glared at them. "NO!"

The kids sighed, knowing, now what they would have to do.

* * *

Hikari didn't like disobeying her mother, but, if it was for her dad and the greater good of the worlds…

"Come on…"

She put her bag inside the ship, following Patria and Pith's example. The twins had gone shopping and picked up what they needed. "Let's get going."

The young girl climbed into the driver's seat and pressed a button beside the controls. The bay doors opened and, taking a deep breath, she pushed the lever forward and the ship shot out of the hanger, into the darkness of space.

"No turning back now…"

* * *

Riku heavily opened his eyes, blinking as the world around his was blurry. As his vision cleared, he found that he couldn't move. He was trapped inside some sort of pod and only his eyes and mouth could move.

"What!? What's going on?"

"Keyblade Master Riku," a familiar voice called out, "a 'pleasure' to see you again."

Riku's eyes widened. "No… it can't be you… you died! Sora killed you!"

"Not entirely…" a black robed figure came into his view.

"What do you want?"

The figure's shoulders shook with light, dark chuckling. "Revenge, what else would it be? Speaking of which…" he turned around and seemed to grab something out of the darkness. "Someone has come to see you."

"No…" Riku gasped as the figure pulled a familiar girl into view. "Kari! LET HER GO NOW!"

"Daddy…" the child looked up, teal eyes shimmering with fright. "Daddy, help me…"

"Don't worry, Hikari, I'll get you out of this!"

The figure chuckled again. "No… you won't." A burst of darkness hit the child in the back, causing her to go limp and disappear before her father's eyes.

"NOOOO!" Riku cried out as tears began spilling from his eyes. "YOU MONSTER!"

"Remember this, Master Riku, it's because of you, that she died…" the figure left, leaving Riku staring at the spot where his daughter had been.

"N…no… Hikari… I… I'm so sorry…"

* * *

**Now the group has 3 in it. And, what's happening to Riku? **

**Please review!**

* * *

**Next time: ****_The kids stop by the Land of Departure to get Glacies and the others, but will an enemy get the best of them?_**

* * *

**Lies**

Patria has a silver tongue and can lie like it's no problem.

Lying can sometimes be seen as a way to get out of things, or get things, but that should not be.

Lying is wrong; one of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not bear false witness". It is wrong to deceive others by telling them falsehoods.

Proverbs 12:22 says, "_The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful._" Satan is known as the 'father of lies' because all he does is lie to us.

That voice that tells you that you are not worth anything, that no one likes you, that you're a mistake, and that you are stupid are lies from the enemy. The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy and he uses lies to do it.

Satan lies and people do too. Even I have lied.

People are not perfect, but we can watch what we say and not lie to others.


	5. Chapter 4: First Heartless

**Hi guys! **

**I really don't have anything to say…**

**Oh! The chapter image is of Pith now!**

**I own nothing but my OCs!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: First Heartless**

* * *

Glacies softly closed the door behind her; she finally got her three-year-old brother to sleep. After they found their parents missing, Ignis began crying and hadn't stopped until he cried himself to sleep.

"Is he ok?"

"He'll be fine, Justin," the older girl sighed. "We just need to focus on finding my parents."

The front doors slammed open. "Master Glacies! Justin!" Xally came dashing up the stairs. "A light came down from the sky, just like the light from a gummi ship! Do you think it could be the masters?"

"I don't know…" Glacies closed her eyes; when she and the other had come home from training by the river, and found the front doors smashed apart and the inside battered, they didn't know what to think. The disappearance of Terra and Aqua only made it stranger. Glacies had been able to use magic to repair most of the damage, but it was still very strange.

"Shall we go investigate?"

The new Keyblade Master looked to the younger of the other two. "Xally, Justin and I will go investigate. You stay here and keep an eye on Ignis."

She nodded and went into the toddler's room to watch him. Glacies and the boy went out the doors and towards the summit.

* * *

"Have either of you been here before?"

"Nope…" Patria looked at her 'cousin'. "Well, not that I remember."

Pith nodded. "I mean, if we had come here before, it's been way too long for us to remember."

"Who's there!?"

The trio looked up and saw an older girl and a boy between Hikari's and Patria's age? The girl strode forward, standing tall. "Who are you?"

"Hold up!" Pith held up his hands. "We're friends! Our parents knew each other!"

Glacies froze, eyes widening. "Who are your parents?"

"I'm Pith and this is my sister, Patria. Our parents are Sora and Kairi…"

"My name's Hikari. My dad is Riku…" The trio's eyes filled with sorrow at the thought of their parents.

"Did… did your parents vanish?"

The three nodded. Justin closed his eyes. "Master Terra and Aqua are gone as well."

"Come back to the castle, we have much to discuss."

* * *

Xally carried Ignis down into the throne room, where the others awaited them. "So, what can you tell us about the disappearances?"

"Do you know where Mommy and Daddy are?" The toddler whimpered.

"Sorry…" Patria crossed her arms. "No one knows where they are."

The older girl crossed her arms. "What are we going to do?"

"Master Yen Sid said that we should go find them and rescue them."

Pith glared at his sister. "Ok, he didn't say that… he said that we were to find them and report back, so that someone else could go and rescue them. We're supposed to stay away from battles."

"That's probably not going to happen…"

"Master Glacies," Justin said, "should we join them?"

"I want to, more than anything; my parents are gone and I want to help find them. It… it's just… Ignis. He's only three. We can't take him with us."

The toddler squirmed until Xally put him down. "Bu' Glace! I wanna come wit' you! I'm a keyb'ade wielder too!"

"You can't…" Glacies picked up her brother. "And you're not a wielder yet."

"You know, we could stop by Radiant Garden next. There are a lot of nice people there who could take care of him while we're out fighting."

The young master looked at her brother thoughtfully. "That would work…

The kids tensed as the castle shook. "What the…?"

"Ignis! Stay here!"

All but the toddler ran outside. A large wolf-like monster stood before them, a heart-shaped insignia on its forehead. "That… it a Heartless…"

"Is this the first time any of us has seen one?"

"I saw some when I was three," Glacies admitted, "but they were small." She summoned her Keyblade, as did the other two apprentices. "Patria, you and the other two stay back! We'll handle this!"

Xally nodded. "No one attacks our home and gets away with it!"

Glacies's Keyblade had and icy blue and grey guard, a white shaft, the blade looked like icicles, and the Keychain was a snow-covered fir branch.

Justin held two blades, one had a brown shaft with the top wrapped in bandages, the guard was like vines, and the blade like black blood-stained teeth, and the Keychain was an animal tooth. The other had a black shaft with grey bars for the blade, a brown guard, and a cage for the Keychain.

The Keyblade in Xally's hand was double sided. One side was made of chain-links with a broken cage for the blade; the other shaft was black with a J, Q, and K on it with a heart, diamond, spade, and club for the blade. The Keychain was a manacle.

The Cainus Heartless roared as Glacies ran at it. "Justin! Xally! Side-Force maneuver!"

"Yes!" The two younger ones ran around and got beside the Heartless as it swiped at Glacies. They held out their blades and closed their eyes. The swords began to levitate and, with a flick of their wrists, the Keyblades flew at the monster, hitting it. The three blades floated in the air, moving as their owners swiped their hands through the air.

The Heartless roared in pain, but as it went to attack one of the two, the other would get its attention.

Glacies drew back and yelled. "Quin-blade strike!"

Sweeping their hands towards her, the airborne Keyblades flew towards Glacies. The young master leapt into the air, landing on one of Justin's blades; Xally's blade came up behind her and thrust Glacies forward. She held her Keyblade out as the other three circled her.

"You're done!" The girl and the four swords cut through the Heartless, causing it to disappear, releasing a heart into the sky.

"That, was AMAZING!" Hikari cheered. "How did you guys do that!?"

Xally grinned. "I'm sure your parents told you about the Jedi." The two nodded. "Well, we are former Jedi apprentices, sent her to learn to wield the Keyblade. We used the Force to manipulate our Keyblades."

"Cool!" Pith looked at his sister, "What'd you think, sis?"

"Interesting…"

Ignis came out the door and bounding down the stairs. "I saw dat! You did it!" He brandished a wooden sword. "Bu' you didn' save me one."

Glacies sighed before looking at the others. "I don't think that Heartless coming here was an accident. It was a large one that was purposely attacking; someone sent it."

"Probably Pete or… Maleficent…" He eyes narrowed and her voice was little more than a growl.

Glacies tensed at the first name. "I… I don't think they're here. They probably sent it to impede or end us."

"Yea… wait… you said us. Have you decided to join?"

The Keyblade Master took a deep breath. "I want to help; we need to find out parents. If someone has taken them, they want them out of the way and that can't be a good thing for us or the worlds. As Keyblade wielders, it is our job to come against any threat to the worlds."

"We all know how it works…" Patria muttered.

"Glace, should we go and get some of our stuff for the trip?"

The older girl nodded. "I'll pack some things up for Ignis and then I have to make sure that the castle is safe."

"Wait! You don't mean?"

"Yes," Glacies nodded, "I do…"

* * *

The others waited as Ignis, Xally, and Justin exited the castle. They went and stood over by them as a light erupted from the castle, surrounding them. When it faded, a different castle that they all knew as Castle Oblivion, stood tall.

Glacies came out of the doors. "I believe we are ready."

"Sis," Ignis clutched his sister's leg. "We gonna fin' Mommy and Daddy?"

"Yes, we are..."

* * *

In the darkness that covered the islands, with the stars shining above, police surrounded the house of Sora and Kairi. Since they, and their children, were missing, their home became a crime scene.

A lone figure, a hood over his head, leapt across the rooftops and slid in through one of the second-floor windows. He went down into the main room and surveyed the damage.

Picking up a picture of the family, he sighed. "I hoped we were wrong…"

"Who's there?!"

One of the police officers came inside, shining his flashlight around; there was no one there.

Once the officer had gone, the figure leapt down from his perch above the door. He went up the stairs and slid out the window, carrying the picture with him. "Sora, Patria, Pith… Kairi… what could've happened?"

* * *

**Ladies and gentlemen! We're heading to Radiant Garden! **

**Can you guess who that mysterious figure at the end was?**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Too Young**

Ignis is only three, but he so wants to help others. He has no weapon and can barely lift a toy Keyblade. He's too young to be a warrior.

However, we are not too young to be an example and show the love of Christ to others. Just because you may be considered a kid, doesn't mean you can't do anything.

1 Timothy 4:12 says, _"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."_

Just because we're don't have degrees or are professionals, doesn't mean we can't make a difference. We can do something by modeling out the life of Christ before men. That in itself is a statement, and one you can do, no matter your age.


	6. Chapter 5: Radiant Reunion

**Hi guys!**

**Sorry it's been a while, I've had finals, AP tests, and work. **

**I won't be able to update or write all next week, so just be patient. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this!**

**I own nothing but my OCs!**

**Sasuke belongs to Yamichaos27!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Radiant Reunion**

* * *

Ansem paced back and forth across his study, running a hand through his, mostly grey hair. He looked up, hopefully as a figure, a hood covering their face, entered the room. "Sasuke, did you find them?"

"No…" the figure removed their hood, revealing the former apprentice of Kairi's father. "Sora's home had signs of a struggle, just like Lea and Ven's, and there was no sign of them."

"What about the twins?" The swordsman shook his head. "That's strange… Brim, Blaze, and Ryô are still here, where could they be?"

"I went to both Sora and Kairi's parents, they have no idea where they are either."

Ansem sat in his chair, hand covering his face. When Lea, Naminé, and Ven disappeared, he immedietly sent Sasuke to check and see if Kairi and her family were all right. Now, his worst fears were realized. "Sasuke, I want you to begin searching worlds near Destiny Islands, but first go see Master Yen Sid and see if he knows anyth…"

"Master Ansem," Ienzo came inside, "King Mickey's gummi ship is arriving in the hanger."

The old man nodded. "On second thought, wait. We'll see if Mickey has any information."

"Yes, Master Ansem."

The two went down to the hanger, watching as the door to the gummi ship opened. The first one out was a little girl with blonde and pink hair. "I stuck the landing! Told ya I would!"

"Yea… sure…"

The two who exited after the first girl made Ansem and Sasuke breathe a sigh of relief; it was the twins. "Patria! Pith!"

"Sasuke! Uncle Ansem!" The two dashed to them.

Ansem hugged his great-great nephew as Sasuke hugged Patria. "I'm so glad you two are safe. When we found you and your parents gone, we feared the worst."

"We're fine." Pith explained, "Master Yen Sid brought us to his tower after… after our parents were taken…"

Sasuke sighed. "Lea, Ven, and Naminé are gone too…"

"So are Terra, Aqua, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Riku." Patria added.

Ansem pulled back and looked at them, and at the rest of the group that stood by the gummi ship. "I feared as much… I guess that all you are their children?" The others nodded. "I see…" He turned to Isa, who stood behind him. "Have some accommodations prepared for our guests; we do not know how long they will be staying…"

"I apologize for the interruption," Glacies cut in, "but, we won't be staying, at least, all of us won't. We have a job to do."

"What job?"

Patria crossed her arms. "Master Yen Sid asked us to scout the worlds for our parents. So, we're here to pick up the other three, and then, we'll go to Twilight Town and get the other kid."

Ansem and Sasuke looked at each other, and then back at them. "You're serious… well…"

"I'll go find Blaze, Brim, and Ry!" A voice called out. A boy of about fifteen, dressed in all brown, with a red scarf, came forward.

"Ivan! What are you doing here?"

The boy shrugged. "I was curious…"

Sasuke shook his head. "Go ahead, Ivan. If you can't find them, ask Vladimir and Cirrus to help."

"Sure!" The boy took off running.

"Excuse me."

"Yes um…"

The young master came forward. "My name is Glacies, my parents are Terra and Aqua. I was wondering something. While we're out traveling the worlds, could someone keep an eye on my little brother? He's only three and not old enough to go a dangerous quest."

"Of course," Ansem nodded. He looked between the group. "I don't know most of you, and it's getting late. Why don't you stay the night here and set out tomorrow?"

"Ok…"

* * *

Brimstone sat in a basement, decked out with speakers and lights. His sister sat nearby, head resting on her hand; Ryô paced, unsure of what to do, with his Labrador Husky laying nearby, watching him. Since Lea, Ventus, and Naminé's disappearance, the three pulled away to their underground concert hall.

The dog's head came up and she barked. Ry petted her head. "What is it, Axie?"

"It's just us." Ivan came inside, followed by a dirty-blonde haired boy and a girl with black hair and blonde bangs.

"Ivan, Vlad, Cirrus… What's up?"

The girl, Cirrus, sighed. "Master Ansem wants you three up at the castle."

"Fine."

* * *

Sasuke sat by Patria and Pith, looking between the two. "Normally, I would be against my godchildren going out to save the worlds, but you two are the same age your dad was when he went out for the first time."

"I think you'd be a bad godfather if you weren't against it, somewhat." Pith laughed.

Ansem smiled as he watched the three. He was glad that Patria and Pith were safe, but what they told him that Master Yen Sid said worried him. If all the guardians were truly missing, something must be happening. Having given the title of king to someone else, he would have to make sure, as the royal advisor that Radiant Garden was prepared for the worst.

"Ansem," Riku's daughter looked over at him. "Do you have any idea what might have happened to our parents?"

"I do not. Only Sera was present when the others were taken. She was in the same room as her husband, but was knocked out when the attacks began. When she woke up, Lea was gone."

The children all hung their heads; oh, how they wished there was more news. The study doors opened and three people, and a dog, came inside. "There you three are!"

Blaze blinked her green eyes at the large group of people, her age. "We didn't know there was a convention."

"Seriously, you should've warned us."

Ryô grabbed his dog's collar as she began licking Ignis's face. "No, Axie… don't lick people's faces."

"Brimstone, Blaze, Ryô," Ansem said, "These are the children of the other guardians. They've come here for you, because all of you have been tasked with finding your parents by Master Yen Sid."

This made the three light up. "Really!?"

"Yes." Glacies stood. "We're going to Twilight Town and then we'll go look for them."

"And, how do you propose to find them?" Even looked at the kids.

Xally smiled. "Justin and I are force-sensitive. We can probably sense where Masters Terra and Aqua are, or at least the general area."

"Sounds simple enough." Sasuke nodded. "And, while you kids are out searching, I'll watch the little one, here."

Ignis blinked in surprise. "Bu' I'm goin' too! I'm a Keyb'ade wielder!"

"Ignis…"

"Aw, but if you go, you won't be able to do your mission." Sasuke playfully whined.

"Wha' mission?"

The swordsman knelt down to the little boy. "Your mission is to help me guard the castle. If you leave, you can't do that."

The toddler thought for a moment before grinning. "I wan' to 'elp you!"

"I thought so…"

* * *

"Master Ansem," Even came inside the study. "I may have devised a way to locate the guardians without the children having to put themselves at risk."

"Please, tell us!"

The scientist looked down at his notes. "I believe that if I allowed the two Jedi to be in a room with a map and they could try and discern their location that way."

"That could work." Justin said, thoughtfully.

"Jedi have done that before." Xally agreed.

Sasuke nodded. "We should try it. I would be much more comfortable if I knew that my godchildren or any other kids were safe."

Patria scowled. At every turn, someone was trying to keep them from their own adventure. Reluctantly, she followed them into a dark room.

"This is a map room we use to pinpoint locations of other worlds." Even explained. "I hope this works…"

Justin and Xally sat down cross-legged and closed their eyes. Without anyone punching any buttons, the map activated around them; it looked like a planetarium presentation with the stars moving overhead and the worlds flying past. The map stopped and Justin pointed.

"I can feel them, right there…" His finger motioned to a small area between two different worlds.

"I can too, but… something is wrong. Something is interfering with that area; they are somewhere we can't see and can't get to on our own."

"That's the Gate of Nadir. There is a small world that is partially in a universe of its own." Everyone jumped as a wizard appeared in the room.

"Merlin! Could you not surprise us like that?"

The wizard waved his hand. "I thought you would've been used to it by now. But, back to our issue. If Sora and the others are through the Gate of Nadir, there is only one way to reach them."

The kids all looked at each other. "We're here to help, what do we need to do?"

"If you are to open that gate and find your parents, you need to create the lock, which can be opened with your Keyblades. To prevent anyone from getting through the gate, the lock was separated into many pieces and scattered across the worlds. It can be drawn from the Keyholes of certain worlds. It may be the only way to reach your parents."

"How did they get through the gate in the first place?"

Merlin crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Only a pure darkness should be able to penetrate the gate. Which none of you have and none of you should try to get."

"It seems, our only option is to make the lock." Glacies sighed. "Very well, we shall rest for the night and start tomorrow."

"So soon?"

"We can't waste time." The older girl stood up tall, "Our parents are counting on us."

Ansem held up a hand. "Glacies, you said that the mission was to locate your parents and allow us to mount the rescue. This is something else entirely."

"But, it's what we were trained to do. You know this, Ansem. As soon as the Keyblade came into our families, it was in our blood. We have all be taught since we were little to fight and there is nothing but fight in us. It is our destiny to pick up the Keyblade and follow our parent's footsteps. This is our time now; they're counting on us. Now, please, let us do what we've been taught to do."

Everyone stared at her. "If you need to give a good speech," Sasuke smirked, "let her do it 'cause I'm convinced."

"Well… I guess if you keep in touch and don't get into anything too deep, it could be all right."

Patria nearly tackled her relative in a hug. "Oh! Thank you Uncle Ansem!"

"Justin and I, if Merlin can show us what they feel like, could sense what worlds the lock pieces are in."

Blaze huffed. "Well, looks like we're going on our own adventure."

"Sis," Brimstone placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "We need to tell Mom where we're going."

"Yea…"

Glacies looked at the siblings. "You two go ahead, we'll get ready so we can leave first thing tomorrow."

* * *

Sera sat in her kitchen, silently, her blind eyes staring off into nothingness.

"Mom!" She looked up at the voice of her son.

"What is it Brim?"

The boy and girl came into the room, "Mom… we wanted to tell you, we're going to go find Dad. The other children of the guardians are going and, even though we don't have Keyblades, we want to help."

"Go…" She stood touching the shoulders of her kids. "Your father would be proud of you both."

"We're not leaving till tomorrow."

Sera hugged the two. "Stay with me then, I'll be there to see you off in the morning."

Their moment was broken as the ground shook and screams came from outside. "Crud…"

The Fahrenheit children ran outside and saw a large dark blue Heartless with a horn and large tusks. The Arc Behemoth Heartless stomped, crushing a market stall.

"Blaze! Brim!" Ryô came running towards them with Axie behind him. "That Heartless is destroying the market!"

Brim reached in his coat and pulled out two hatchets, Ryô summoned his Keyblade, while Blaze pulled two large knives from her belt.

Ryô blade was a light blue with a cloud for the guard; a red ribbon wrapped around the shaft and turned into a dove wing for the blade.

"Blaze, can you distract it?"

"No!" Ry exclaimed, "Let me do it."

Blaze rolled her eyes as their friend ran out in front of the monster. "Ugh… pacifist…"

Brim ran in and jumped up onto the Arc Behemoth's back and hacked away at the horn, coating his weapons in fire. "Blaze! Get your butt up here!"

The girl took a deep breath. "I can do this… I can control it…" She closed her eyes and took a long intake of air. Her hair began rising and curling like it was made of fire, an orange glow covered her body as flames leapt from her hands. Her eyes shot open, the pupils, white, and irises gone, replaced by green flames. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The flames propelling her, she leapt directly to the beast's head and unleashed a concentrated blast of fire into its horn.

The Arc Behemoth stumbled under the attack and fell down, a heart floating away. Brim and Ry looked at the girl, who still had fire coming from her. "Blaze… Blaze…" The girl turned her head sharply, flaming eyes staring at them. "Sis… calm down, it's me, your brother…"

Blaze blinked and her eyes reverted back to normal and the fire around her died away. "B… Brim…" she collapsed to the ground. Ryô caught the girl in his arms.

"She really needs to work on controlling that; that or she doesn't need to use her powers that potently."

Brim picked his sister up and carried her towards their house. "I know…"

* * *

Glacies stared out at the sky, wondering what was happening to her parents. "Dad… I don't think I can do this… I know you think I'm Keyblade Master material, and I know I can put up a good front, but I can't be the Master you want me to be. Not with my… my fear…"

She turned around, seeing her little brother sleeping in a small bed. "I have to be strong… I have to fake it, for the others…"

* * *

The next morning, Ignis clung to Glacies's leg. "Don't go! P'ease!"

"Don't worry, Ignis," the girl gave him a smile as she lifted him into her arms and handed him to Sasuke. "I'm going to bring Mommy and Daddy home, and you're going to help Sasuke guard the castle." The little boy gave a small smile but continued to cry.

Sera hugged her two children. "Come back safe… please. I couldn't lose you and your father…"

"We'll come home, Mom."

"We promise!"

Ansem looked at his great-great niece and nephew. "You two have certainly grown from the two tiny children I knew fourteen years ago. Your parents will be proud of you."

"Thank you, Uncle Ansem!" The twins hugged the old man. "Hold down the home-front, while we're gone!"

"Of course…."

* * *

Ansem, Sera, Sasuke, and Ignis stood by as the gummi ship, Night Streakier, lifted off and blasted away, carrying the hope for the worlds with it.

* * *

Terra coughed, his eyes opening slowly into darkness. He couldn't move and all he could see was a single light in front of him. "Master Terra… a pleasure to see you again."

"You!?" Terra growled. "But… you're dead!"

"So you thought…" A hooded figure walked into the light, dragging something behind him. "Oh, and someone has come for you. I believe her name is Keyblade Master Glacies."

"Glace!"

The girl looked up. "Dad…"

"It's too bad you rejected the darkness, Master Terra." The figure hoisted Glacies up and she didn't struggle. "However, your daughter has different ideas."

The man gasped. "Glacies… no…"

"Yes… it's too bad you left the dark. I like it… I've never felt more alive!" The girl's eyes faded from blue to a sick gold color. "Goodbye… Father… I'll be spending time with my new teacher." With that, she turned and left.

"GLACIES!"

* * *

**Remember, I won't be able to update next week!**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Ivan Leonheart: **_Son of Leon/Squall and Rinoa. He's a joker and likes to get in everybody's business, but he's a good friend and will have your back when you need him. _

**Vladimir Fair:** _Son of Zack and Aerith. He's quiet and stoic, always ready for a fight. He's always dragging his best friend, Ivan, out of messes. He'll help out those who really need it._

**Cirrus Strife: **_Daughter of Cloud and Tifa. She's playful and loves to make new friends. She's an avid fighter and is always ready to fight if you challenge her._

* * *

**Control**

Seems like Blaze can't control her own abilities.

Sometimes we have trouble controlling ourselves. Self-control is something everyone has trouble with at times. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Proverbs 25:28 says, "_A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls._" If you don't have self-control you are vulnerable to attack from the enemy. It takes time to learn to control yourself, but it is not impossible.

All you have to do is stop before you act and keep yourself under control.


	7. Chapter 6: Twilight Waltz

**This is the last chapter before we get to the worlds.**

**Hey guys! Please go check out the story by Yamichaos27, about his OC Sasuke called 'Moonlit Knights'. It's awesome!**

**Also, I wrote a new story tying into this one. It's called 'The Tales of Vanitas'. It tells of what happened to Vanitas after KH3, leading into this very story.**

**Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**All my OCs © to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Twilight Waltz**

* * *

Brimstone calmly flew the ship, steering it towards the small world of Twilight Town. "Do you think that he'll come with us?"

"I'm sure he will." Ryô smiled at his best friend. "We've got a team of all the Keyblade wielders that are available at the moment. I'm sure we can find those lock pieces and our parents."

The console dinged as they reached the world. Brimstone hit the comm button. "Hey guys! We made it!"

* * *

Yuyake sat on the top of the clock tower, staring down at the festival in the square below. "Yake…" Maxine came up behind him and sat down. "I know you're worried about them, but you can't do anything about it."

"I was there… I was right there." Yuyake closed his eyes. "I was holding Mom's hand…"

* * *

_Yuyake walked beside his parents. "How about we get some ice cream?"_

_"Sounds good, Yake," Roxas smiled, a hand on his son's shoulder. _

_Xion took Yuyake's hand. "Let's go, son!"_

_The boy smiled before stopping; he had a sinking feeling that something was behind him. He turned and then… everything went black._

_When he woke up, his parents were gone and he was alone. "Uh… what happened…? Mom? Dad!?_

* * *

"I could've done something! I'm a Keyblade wielder for goodness sake!"

He stopped as he felt a pair of lips brush his cheek. "Yake, you're only one person. The three of you were ambushed and you couldn't have done anything, so stop blaming yourself for something you can't control."

"Yea…" he stood up and turned away. "I know I asked you to come with me as my date, to the festival, but…"

"I understand." Maxine hugged him lightly before letting go. "I'll win you a teddy bear!"

Yuyake chuckled lightly before nodding. "I'll hold you to that, Max."

* * *

The group landed on the dusk-covered world. Twilight Town was decorated in the most festive way possible. "What's this all about?" Xally looked around. "Is there a party or something?"

"It's the spring festival, we have it every year." A brown-haired girl came up beside them.

"Who are you?"

The girl smiled. "My name's Maxine! Hey, I've never seen you guys around here before."

"We're not from around here," Glacies admitted.

Patria crossed her arms. "Actually, we're looking for someone. Know anyone whose parents went missing as of late?"

Maxine backed away, her eyes narrowing, slightly. "What do you guys want with Yuyake?"

Ryô stepped forward, bowing his head politely. "Our parents were friends of his and they're missing too. We were going to see if he would come help us find them."

"Oh!" The girl nodded. "I'll take you to him, but if you're lying, he and I will kick your butts!"

They followed her through the town to a small house on the outskirts. Maxine opened the gate to the backyard of the house. They saw a boy raven-haired bending over by some bushes. "The blackberries were ripe and I didn't want Mom's garden to fail while she's not here."

"Yake… there's some people here looking for you. They said that they're going to help find your parents and they want you to come with them."

"Huh!?" Yuykae looked up in shock. His eyes scanned the crowd behind him. He noticed Brimstone and Blaze. "Hey… Brim, Blaze is that you? I haven't seen you two in years."

"Nice to see you too, Yake. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

The boy stood up and came over to them, his hand full of blackberries. "You guys must be the others I've heard about from my parents. We probably met once, but it has been a long time." His eyes held the same determination as the others. "Are you really looking for them?"

"Yep!" Hikari smiled brightly. "We know where they are too!"

"You do!?"

"They're in a place called the Gate of Nadir. The only thing is, we can't get there without gathering the pieces of the lock. That's what we're planning to do and we want your help to do it." Justin came forward. "Xally and I can sense where the lock pieces are, so we can find them quickly."

Yuyake's eyes brightened at this news. "I'm coming with you, of course! I can duel-wield Keyblades like my dad. I'm totally in!" He looked back at his mother's garden, a glint of sadness in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Yake." Maxine grasped his arm lightly. "I'll take care of it for you. I Mrs. Mukxo showed me how to take care of it too." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Go be a hero."

The others gave him a sly glance as he kissed her back. "Thanks, Max…"

"AH!"

"HEEEELLLPPP!"

"HELP US!"

Everyone jumped as screams came from the main area where the festival was. The group ran to the station and into the crowd; the people were scattering and running away. In the middle of station square were three figures. They all wore ragged black cloaks and pointed orange hats, with their glowing yellow eyes peeking out from under. They had ragged wings and each one was casting different kinds of magic: one ice, one fire, and one thunder.

"Max! Get out of here, we'll handle this!" Yake turned to her. She nodded and ran off.

He ran forward. "Who are you, and why are you doing this!?"

"We are the Black Waltz!" One of the figures shouted.

"We're here for Topaz!"

"Give her to us!"

Yuyake gaped. "What do you want with Topaz?"

"With her, her parents will be at our mercy."

Brimstone narrowed his eyes. "As if we're going to let that happen."

"Stand down," Yuyake held out his hand. "This is personal now… targeting one of my best friends… as if I would stand for that." Two Keyblades appeared in his grasp. "You can't have my friend!" He charged the Black Waltz.

The three fired spells at him over and over. The boy grinned as he blocked their magic. "Let's start the countdown!" His left Keyblade, themed after a thunderstorm, ran one of the attackers through. "Three…!" He fell back as a Fire spell hit his chest. Yuyake regained his footing and charged, using his other Keyblade, themed after a sunny day, he slashed through the second Black Waltz. "Two..."

"You won't stop us!" A Thunder spell, shot through the boy's body, making him freeze. Two knives came down from the clock tower and into the last Black Waltz.

"So, I heard you were looking for me." A blonde girl with a streak of brown, dressed in blue, yellow, and orange, she had a horn sticking out from her forehead and a monkey tail, and she stood above the doors of the station. "Too bad I found you first!"

The three creatures began to fade away, limping towards the girl. "You will come with us… We must make them suffer… Zidane and Garnet will suffer…"

"Yeesh, you three still holding a grudge after 20 years. You really are petty…" The girl snapped her fingers. In a flash a little green creature with a ruby on its forehead. "Maybe my little Carbuncle can help you learn something." The little creature launched a Haste Spell on Yuyake. "Go ahead, Yake, take him out!"

"You got it!" He threw his Keyblades and they slashed through the three Black Waltz, causing them all to vanish into dust. Yuyake dismissed his swords and looked at the girl. "Hey Blade! Thanks for the backup!"

The genome/summoner girl winked before jumping on a light pole and down to the ground. "No prob… later!"

"What was that all about?"

"Definitely, a personal matter…" Patria sighed. She looked around at the destroyed fairground. "Too bad this place got destroyed."

Yuyake shook his head. "They'll fix it up no problem. I'm just glad that no one got hurt."

"Yea…"

Maxine came back over to them. "Good thing that's over. People were really scared."

"It's our job to be peacemakers," Glacies smiled. "This is what we do."

* * *

Yuyake took one last look at his homeworld. The people of Twilight Town were cleaning up after the fight with the Black Waltz. "I'll be back… once I find my parents I'll come home…"

* * *

"So, where do we go from here?"

Glacies motioned to the young boy and girl sitting in the cockpit; Xally and Justin sat silent, eyes closed. "They'll tell us when they sense a lock piece."

"How long will that take?"

"I don't kn…"

Xally's eyes shot open. "That direction! There's one nearby!"

"I sense it too." Justin stood up and walked to the controls. He pointed to a nearby world, just in view; it was one none of them recognized. "That's where it is."

Patria grinned, this being the true beginning of their own adventure, she was excited and ready for anything. "Well then, let's get going!"

* * *

**We're heading into the first of our worlds next!**

**Things will start heating up after this!**

**Please review!**

**Next time: **

**The group ends up in a town with the strangest name and even stranger circumstances. Things will only get crazier when a wild family, a phony doctor, and a boy with a dragon come into town.**

**In ****_Passamaquoddy!_**

* * *

**Topaz (Blade) Tribal: **The only child of Zidane and Garnet Tribal. She has the horn of a summoner and the tail of a genome and uses two knives to fight. She is reckless and doesn't take danger seriously.

* * *

**Leading the Way**

Looking for these lock pieces will be a difficult task, good thing they have guides to help them. We have a guide in life as well. God knows our path and leads us along. John 16:13 says, "_When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…_"

You may say, that you've followed God and still ended up in bad situations. The storms of this life will come, no matter what path we choose. However, God will never let something come at you that you can't handle. He will give you the strength to overcome the hardest of trials.

In a new worship song by Bethel, called 'We Dance' there is one line that says "Take the lead and I will follow, Finally read now to close my eyes and just believe that you won't lead me where you don't go". God is with us, holding us up and leading us through the hardest trials.

No matter what you're going through, know that God is with you and, all you need do is ask and he will lead you through the trials. He is always leading the way for you.


	8. Chapter 7: Passamaquoddy part 1

**This is the first of the worlds!**

**This is my all-time favorite Disney movie! **

**I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**_Pete's Dragon _****© to Disney!**

**All my OCs © to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Passamaquoddy**

* * *

As they sped along through space, towards the world pointed out by the two former Jedi, Hikari looked around, "So all of us are Keyblade wielders except Blaze and Brim… I didn't really get a good look at your swords while we were fighting."

The others summoned their blades. She'd seen Patria and Pith's weapons before, as well as Ryô's and his was called Calm Construct; the Keyblade in Glacies' hand was called Hoarfrost, Xally's was called Gamble of Freedom, Justin's two were called Wild Beast and Caged Beast. Yuyake called his thunderstorm themed blade Great Tribulation and the other Perfect Relief. Hikari summoned her own and smiled. "Mine's called Shining Star!"

"We can discuss weapons later," Glacies stood up. "We've made it."

* * *

The group landed outside of a small town. "This place…"

"That's a weird name." Hikari stood by a sign. "The town's called Pass-a-ma-quoddy… Passamaquoddy."

Patria rolled her eyes. "Whose stupid idea was it to name the town something like Passamaquoddy?"

"Who knows…"

Xally smiled. "Come on, you guys. Let's go check the town out."

The town was small and quiet, for the most part. As they reached the square, they saw a bunch of men came around come around a building as one man, arms full of eggs, ran into another, slamming the eggs in his face by accident.

"You… you absolute oaf!" The man wiped the egg off his face.

The man holding the eggs stammered. "L…Look! It was that kid who pushed me!" A little blonde boy could be seen running off.

"He pulled off Ms. Taylor's petticoat!" Another man said.

"He walked through my cement with his big feet!"

"He scared my horse, Victoria!"

The man finished wiping off the egg and looked around. "Well, wh… where is this person?"

"There he goes!"

"Well, detain him! Detain him!" The men ran after the boy.

Brimstone looked at the others. "Am I the only one getting the feeling that the kid they're talking about isn't really at fault?"

"No, you're not."

The group ran after the men and spotted the boy leaving the town, heading towards a nearby beach. Pith pointed towards a cave. "He went in that cave."

As they approached the opening, they could hear a child's voice say angrily. "We're in a lot of trouble, and it's all your fault." There was some small sounds of gibberish, groaning, and other sounds of the kind. "I don't wanna play… you did everything wrong in Passamaquoddy, now everybody hates us! I don't know whether you're good for me… or bad."

"Hello…" Glacies came into the cave. She gasped as she saw a little boy with a green dragon nearby. The dragon cocked his head and waved to her.

The others came in, surprising the boy a little more. "Who are you?"

"I'm Pete," the boy said shyly.

Hikari went up to the dragon and smiled. "And who is this?"

"That's Elliott." Pete looked at them. "Who are you guys…?"

"We're…"

"Hello in there!" A woman's voice came from the entrance to the cave.

Pete turned his head to the dragon. "Get back!" Elliott turned and squeezed into a large crack and out of sight.

A woman entered the cave, smiling at the large group of kids. "Hi. What are you all doing here?"

"Nothing, really."

"It's not safe here," the woman looked around. "The tide's coming in and high water reaches this cave sometimes. You all better head for home." As the group didn't move, the woman looked around at them. "You're not from Passamaquoddy, are you?"

"Nope, just sort of… traveling." The others nodded in agreement with Pete.

"Where are your parents?" All of them looked downward. "Where are you staying?" Again, they stayed silent. "What are your names?"

"Pete."

"My name is Glacies, and these two are Justin and Xally."

"Name's Brimstone and that's my sister, Blaze, and my best friend, Ryô."

"Name's Patria and that's Pith."

"I'm Hikari!"

"The name's Yuyake…"

The woman smiled, slightly. "I'm Nora, and I have to get back on watch, up at the lighthouse. There's chowder on the stove, if you'd like some; there should be enough for all of you."

"That's the best offer I've heard all day." Yuyake smirked.

The group followed Nora while Pete hung back for a moment, possibly talking to Elliott.

* * *

"The Gogans own me, I guess. They said it was against the law for me to ever leave them." The kids listened as Pete explained his plight to Nora.

"That's terrible," Hikari huffed. "I was an orphan too but, I got a good family. Adoption is supposed to make you a part of the family, not someone's property."

"Where did you get that bruise?"

"Mr. Gogan," Pete said, "I was milking the cow, and I missed the bucket."

Glacies looked at him sadly, "Had he done that before."

Pete nodded. "Al the time. The first time I ran away, the orphanage sent me back. This time, I'll just keep running."

"Well, you'll be safe here." Nora looked around at the others. "And, what about the group of you?"

"Our parents are missing, and we're out trying to find them." Patria said as she took a bite of her chowder.

She looked around again. "Why don't you all sleep here tonight? I've got two beds here, you can double-up if need be, and there are a few other places. Pete, we can figure out what to do for you tomorrow."

"Ok…"

"Sounds good."

"Wonderful." Nora nodded. "I've got work to do. Come on."

Ry followed the woman. "Are you a mother?"

"I'm not even a wife…"

"Are you going to get married?" Pith asked.

Nora looked up. "I'm already married to this lighthouse."

Pete noticed a picture of a man by the staircase. "Who's that?"

"Paul…"

"Is he part of your family?"

"He almost was," Nora's tone became saddened.

Xally cocked her head. "What do you mean 'almost'?"

"We were going to be married," the woman explained.

"Why didn't you?" Blaze asked, curiously.

Nora looked down at them. "Well, as far as we know, his ship was headed for a storm. They were never heard from again… that was a year ago."

Brim waved his hand. "I'm sure he'll come back."

"I tell myself the same thing every day, standing up there watching for ships on the horizon." Nora smiled sadly. "Time I should be thinking of other things, so they tell me."

Pith shook his head. "No way. If my mom had given up on my dad, Patria and I wouldn't be here today."

"You know," Pete said, "I can ask Elliott about Paul. He has a way of knowing things."

"Who's Elliott?"

Pete smiled. "My dragon."

"Dragon?" She gasped. "So you're the boy with the dragon."

Yuyake grinned. "He sure is."

"Where is he?"

Patria jabbed a thumb behind her. "Tall, green, and scaly is back down in the cave."

"I don't think he'd want to be called that."

"He's not here," the girl huffed. "Ms. Nora, where's that bed you mentioned?" The woman pointed to a set of bunk beds. "I'll take bottom; no one but Hikari can double up with me." With that, the red-head went over and laid down. "Goodnight."

Nora looked at Pith. "Your sister has little manners."

"Belive me, I know…"

The woman looked back over at Pete. "Now, I've never known anyone with a dragon. What does he look like?"

"Uh, big and green," Xally said.

Blaze nodded. "He had purple spikes on his back."

"There was also some purple hair on his head."

Hikari nodded and continued for Yuyake. "He kinda acted like a puppy too."

"Oh really?" Nora smiled, "Well, it's good that you found a friend like that, Pete."

"Yea, he was my only friend but, now I've got him and all of you too!"

"Yes you do."

* * *

Pete and Yuyake shared the top bunk of the bed while Hikari and Patria shared the bottom. Nora was able to pull out some pads where the rest lay asleep.

They all woke up to a yell. An old man stood at the foot of the stairs, pointing at Pete and yelling. Nora came down the stairs. "Dad! What is it?"

"The boy with the dragon!"

"I know, I know," the woman sighed. "Now just take it easy."

The man turned to Nora. "You saw it. You saw it?"

"I didn't actually see it, but I know what it looks like."

Ry rubbed his eyes. "We've seen it."

"But wha…"

Nora shook her head. "We'll talk about it later."

"O…One thing I must know: it isn't in the lighthouse, is it?"

"No sir," Hikari grinned.

Patria, annoyed by being woken up in such a way. "The big guy's down in the cave."

"Sis, be nice; his name is Elliott."

The man cocked his head. "Elliott? It… it even has a name."

"Speaking of names," Brim smirked, "What's yours?"

"L… Lampie…"

Nora patted Lampie's shoulder. "Now Dad, there's nothing to get upset about."

"You're right. You're right." The man nodded. "Nothing to get upset about. Nothing… now, why should I get upset? I should be happy. I… I should be happy! I'll go down to the saloon and I'll tell the boys. I'll say, 'Boys here it is.' And then hear the apologies."

Hikari giggled. "I think Elliott would be happy to do that for you, sir."

"That's right!" Pete nodded.

"Good boy. Good lad. Just you and me and Elliott. We'll go into the saloon…" Lampie's eyes widened. "Oh, Elliott… He won't, won't start to scratch, or bite, or set anything on fire, will he?"

Pete bit his lip. "Well, he's sort of…"

"Sort of what?"

"Unpredictable."

Nora came over to end the situation. "Now don't do anything with Elliott. Why don't you leave him where he is? It's too dangerous to take him into town. Now…" her eyes roamed the room and made eye contact with everyone. "I don't want anyone to say a word about Elliott, to anyone. Do you understand?"

"Yes mam!"

"Now," the woman smiled. "Let's all have breakfast. The lamp has to be polished, the lens cleaned, and I want to take Pete into town to buy some new clothes. The rest of you can help around here or look for clues as to where your parents may be."

"Thank you, Ms. Nora."

* * *

The younger children, such as Justin, Xally, and Hikari, stayed at the lighthouse to help Lampie run it. The others split up across town to try and find the Keyhole, where to lock piece could be found.

Patria and her twin ended up in the town square. They looked up as a man atop a building, yelled out. "DOC TERMINUS IS COMING!"

The people all scattered as a cart being propelled by a sail, came into the square. Patria and Pith jumped back as the cart came by them. "What the heck!?"

"Some people shouldn't be allowed to drive."

"I'll say…"

The two men on the cart threw out an anchor, which caught the stairs of the city hall, and eventually caught on a metal pole, stopping the vehicle. The two men, and a skeleton model, flew through the air, landing on a net.

One man was dressed in a top hat and fancier clothes, while the other wore a bolar hat and plain brown clothes.

"Get him off of me! Get him off!" They all noticed the angry glares of the Passamaquoddy townspeople.

"I think they remember us."

"Uh oh, I think I remember them."

Patria looked at her brother. "I'm getting a bad vibe off these guys…"

"Same here, sis."

The man in the top hat straightened his coat and grinned. "How wonderful to see your smiling faces again. All of you. I've never known such warmth, such welcome, such loving hospitality."

"GET OUT, YA QUACK!" All the townspeople gathered around the cart as the men backed towards it.

"AND DON'T BRING THOSE PHONY REMEDIES HERE AGAIN!"

"GO ON BACK TO WHERE YOU BELONG: JAIL!" Everyone began booing.

The twins looked at the two men. "You have no love here…"

The man, who must have been the Doc Terminus mentioned by the watchmen, and the same one whose name was on the side of the cart, stood up on a stage and grinned. "Thank you, thank you! I sense enthusiasm! I sense loving response, and that's why I feel that this is my home, away from home." He opened a cabinet full of bottles. "With my remedies, I've treated rabid fever, gout, gastritis, mumps, bronchitis, bits, burns, and blue abrasions. I've got pills for every occasions."

"Liar!" A large woman came forward. "I took your pill for losing weight, and now I'm a blob!"

Doc Terminus gave her a nervous smile. "Well, now there's some more of you to love." The woman blushed a little at the comment. The doctor gave a smile. "I've cured people in Powder Hole, Buzzard Bay, and I even left Kingdom Hall to come here."

"THEY PROBABLY THREW YOU OUT!"

As Terminus tried to come up with some sort of reply, an older man, with a hat on, stormed forward. "My hair was gray but, because of you, it's now pink!" He pulled off the hat, revealing bright pink hair.

"But that color…" Terminus replied nervously. "It's very… becoming…"

The people of the town grew angrier by the moment, as did the twins. "WE'RE GONNA WASH YOUR PHONY TONICS RIGHT DOWN THE SINK!"

"Wait! Listen!" the two men backed up as the angry mob came closer. "My specialties are audiology, mycology, serology, teratology, embryology, psychology, zoology… and any other 'ology' you can think of! MY FRIENDS, you're not giving me a chance!"

The younger of the twins looked to his sister. "What do you think? Should they give him another chance?"

"No frikin' way! He's nothing by a phony and is just trying to fool these people, and I'm not sticking around while he fakes them out." The girl turned around and walked off, with her brother following behind.

* * *

"Justin, if you bring up the oil can, we'll be ready for the night."

"Sure…"

Pete looked at Nora. "If it's alright, I'd like to show Elliott my new suit!"

"No! No!" Lampie cried out, "You can't bring Elliott up here. Government regulation states that, no dragons on the premises of lighthouses. Now, why don't you help Justin bring in the oil can, so I can mark it up in the log that it's done."

The boy nodded. "Nora, is it alright if I take Paul's picture down to Elliott so he can start looking for him."

The woman paused for a moment before nodding. "Alright…"

Pete, along with Pith and Xally headed down to the cave. Patria and most of the others were already in bed, Justin was with Lampie, and Glacies was still in the room with Nora. "Glacies, thank you."

"For what?"

"Playing along with the kids about the make-believe dragon." The woman smiled. "It means a lot to them, especially Pete. It's sort of like a family he made up."

"Nora, I wasn't playing. There really is a dragon down in that cave. You can go down there and look for yourself."

"I was down there, and I saw nothing." Nora gave her a strange glance.

Glacies smiled and headed for her bed. "Think on it, Ms. Nora."

* * *

Pete and the other two headed down to the cave. The green dragon had made a fire and was goofing off. "Hi, Elliott!" The dragon looked up. "How do ya like my new suit?"

"Wow!" Elliott grinned.

"And new shoes too. Look at the way they shine!"

Pith smiled at Elliott. "I don't think you have to worry about Pete; Nora's very nice to him."

"Yea!" Pete nodded. "I want to do something for her."

Holding up the picture of Nora's old fiancé. "We were thinking you could find Paul for Nora. He looks like this." The dragon brought his face close to the photo. "Try real hard to remember him." Elliott nodded.

"Guys," Pith said, "We better go now."

"Bye Elliott!"

"See you tomorrow!"

* * *

The next day was the same as the first… mostly. The group split up across town, still searching for the Keyhole. However, Justin, Xally, and Hikari were with Pete and Nora. The four kids were going to attend school in the town while they were here. They had all been trying to get out of it the entire time but, Nora wouldn't have it.

Many of the town's children heard of Elliott, who was apparently following them, so they amassed quite a crowd. However, as they passed by the docks, they could all hear the fishermen.

"It's like every fish sorta disappeared. Just suddenly up and disappeared."

"There's the cause of it! That kid Pete! From the day he come to town, the fishing turned sour!"

Nora narrowed her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."

"It's that crazy dragon talk of his!"

"That kid's nothin' but bad luck, wherever he goes!"

The woman crossed her arms. "You're a bunch of superstitious ding-dongs. You know that fishing grounds shift from time to time."

"Elliott'll make the fish come back!" Pete exclaimed.

Justin hung his head. "Pete, that's not going to help your case."

Exactly as the boy said, the fishermen rolled their eyes. "There he goes, talkin' dragons again."

"Hey kid! There ain' no room in this town for a dragon, and there ain't no room in this town for jinxes like you, neither!"

"Well," Nora only smirked. "If there's enough room for a chowder-head like you, then there's more than enough room for a dragon. There's enough room for everyone on our world, you just have to move over and make room."

"That's right!" Hikari cried out.

"And all of you are short-sighted fools to believe otherwise." Justin nodded.

Nora placed her hand on Pete's shoulder. "We all understand and I hope you will figure it out one day too." As they all came to the schoolhouse, the bell began ringing; the children, save Pete, Hikari, Justin, and Xally ran inside. The teacher, Nora called Ms. Taylor, stood at the door. "You're late. You're late. Late. Late. Late."

"Hello," Nora walked up with the four children. "I'm Nora…"

As the two women talked, Hikari looked at the other two Keybearers. "Tell me again why we're going to school while we're supposed to be saving the world?"

"We're going to watch Pete," Xally said. "The Gogans could still come after him and it's our job to make sure they don't"

Ms. Taylor let Pete inside the school and looked at the other three. "And what do you three want?"

"We're in town for just a short while and we want to attend your school while we're here. Is that alright with you?"

This seemed to brighten her day. "Three children ready and excited about their education… how could I say no? What are your names?"

"Justin Chapel-Petra"

"Xally Chapel-Petra."

"Hikari Tsuchi."

Ms. Taylor motioned inside, "Come on in."

The three Keybladers were grateful that the work was below their level and too easy for words. It made the day not seem so bad. As they worked, suddenly the school bell began ringing outside. Everyone looked up. Ms. Taylor cocked her head. "Why's the bell ringing? There's no one out there?"

"I'll stop it!" Pete jumped from his seat and ran outside. "Elliott stop!" He grabbed the rope and it began pulling him up and down. "The bell's not supposed to ring 'till recess!"

The way he was handing onto the rope, it looked like he was the one pulling it. Or, that's what Ms. Taylor thought. "Stop that!"

"I'm not doing it!"

"Liar!" The teacher grabbed the boy and the bell stopped ringing. All the students watched as she pulled Pete inside. "It's the knuckle-cracker for you!" She grabbed a ruler. "Three for lying and three for… for whom the bell rings! Palms down, knuckles up." The boy held out his hands as she directed. She brought the ruler down sharply on his knuckles. "One… two… three… four…"

"It doesn't' hurt much, Elliott." The boy looked at the window, where the dragon, most likely stood, invisible.

"Who are you talking to?"

Pete looked up after wincing from another smack on the wrist. "My dragon."

"Your dragon, wagon, nothing but a network of lies! Three more for your imagination!" The teacher grew angrier. "Six… seven… eight… and a great big nine!" She placed a cone 'dunce' hat on Pete's head. "Go stand in the corner."

Justin cocked his head. "Um, Ms. Taylor…" he raised his hand.

"What is it, Justin?"

"I was wondering, what was your logic in what you did."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Xally covered her face with her hands. "Oh no… Justin, don't…"

"When you punished him for his 'imagination' what logic did you use?" He asked. "For imagination is a good thing that brings societies forward. Why should one be punished for that? What was your logic in that moment?" As he noticed the anger in Ms. Taylor's eyes, he added. "I mean no disrespect, I was just curious."

The woman's face was nearly red with anger. It did sound like he was talking back, though, Xally knew this wasn't the case. She walked over and grabbed the boy, bringing him up to the front of the room. "For that kind of back-talk, we'll skip the knuckle-cracker and go straight to the behind-breaker!" She grabbed a yardstick. "Bend over!"

Everyone jumped as a loud growling came from outside. The children began screaming. A large, invisible figure burst through the wall. Xally gasped. "Elliott!"

"No! No! Elliott!" Pete ran forward. "Get out!" Everyone could hear the grunting and moaning of the dragon.

"You're going about this the wrong way!"

Hikari ran forward. "Go back! Go back to the cave!"

The invisible dragon made a few more moans before grabbing the 'dunce' hat off of Pete and grabbed the yardstick from Ms. Taylor. Justin felt a large hand pat his head before the large dragon walked and went out the other wall, leaving two dragon-shaped holes in the school.

Pete looked at the other three kids, "We should get out of here!"

"Right!"

Xally looked back at the school as they ran, sighing at the destruction caused by Elliott. "This can't get any worse…"

* * *

**I decided to split most of the 'movies' I use into two parts.**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Friend in Me**

Pete spoke about how he gained more friends after having only one. Sometimes, we lose friends, maybe they move away, hurt us, leave us, or literally pass away. However, we have one friend who will never leave us, no matter what.

We may be God's children but, we are also his friends. John 15:15 says, "_No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you._"

Jesus sees us as his friends and will be with us in all circumstances. When all our earthly friends leave or abandon us, he will never leave.

When I felt my loneliest, after all my closest friends moving away, and those I called my friends pushed me away, I felt alone. I tried to figure out what went wrong between me in my friends by sending them an email telling them how I felt; the response was not what I wanted, to say the least. I was surrounded by people, but I never felt so alone.

It took time but, I eventually turned from looking to people for friendship and turned to God to be the friend I needed. Doing that, God became the friend I needed, and he even began to repair and bring back friendships I had lost. The people who pushed me away are now very close to me.

So, even when you feel alone, know that Jesus is your friend and will always be there for you.


	9. Chapter 8: Passamaquoddy part 2

**Hi everyone! **

**Did everybody see the KH3 trailer!? IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! *Sora was so hot!***

***cough* well, let's move on…**

**You'll be meeting a new villain in this chapter! I want your feedback.**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Pete's Dragon © to Disney!**

**All my OCs © to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Passamaquoddy**

* * *

_"I see you have more resources now…"_

_"Of course, I am King!"_

_"I need some killers; trained assassins, if you have any."_

_"My daughter leads the greatest group of assassins in any world. However, they only listen to her."_

_"That won't be a problem… I have already met your daughter and she has agreed to lend me her subordinates." _

_"Ha! Then what'd ya need me for?"_

_"Have the assassins meet me in the catacombs; I shall give them their mission there."_

_"Of course… and may I say, it's great serving you once again…"_

* * *

The group hadn't spoken about what had happened at the school; Hikari, Xally, Justin, and Pete felt bad about what had happened. They were all helping Nora whitewash the lighthouse.

"Good morning, Miss Nora." They all turned and saw Dr. Terminus and his partner, Hoagy approached them. "So, this is where you live, eh? At last we've seen the light." He laughed but, no one else did, save Hoagy. "I tell you, you've got to have a sense of humor these days…"

"You're not funny…" Patria muttered under her breath.

The doctor ignored her, looking at the young orphan boy in the crowd. "And you must be Pete."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm Dr. Terminus, and this is Hoagy, who's doing his internship with me."

We know who you are…" Yuyake huffed; he'd seen what that man's phony remedies could do.

The man gave him a dirty look before looking at the four youngest children. "I heard about the incident at school yesterday."

"We'd rather not discuss it."

"I realize you must be disturbed about it, Miss Nora, and uh, up to here," he put his hand up to his chin. "in dragons. You know, Pete, I have always loved dragons. They're such wonderful creatures. When they're not busy destroying things, of course." Justin stopped his painting and looked at the man. He sensed something strange and dark about this man. "I've had a dream since I was your age that one day, I would have my very own dragon. I would consider my life to be fulfilled, and would be most grateful if you would sell me your dragon."

Everyone stopped painting at once. "You wanna buy Elliott?"

"Sight unseen. As it."

Hoagy nodded. "We'll give him a good home. Bless him."

"I couldn't sell him," Pete shook his head.

The men still persisted. "Sure you could. That's what life is all about: buying and selling. I'll give you three dollars."

"Just three! You really are a jerk." Brimstone scoffed. "Even if he would sell Elliott… which he won't, three dollars is completely not enough to pay for him. That's the biggest rip-off I've ever heard of."

Dr. Terminus looked very offended. "Well then… five dollars!"

"You're hopeless…"

"I can't sell him," Pete told the man, simply. "I don't own him."

"What did ya do? Rent him?"

"Well, who owns him!?" Now, Hikari could feel an aura of darkness from the man.

Pete shrugged. "Well, nobody, I guess. He just came to me. He only goes to those who need him."

"I need him!"

Glacies narrowed her eyes. "Listen, Doc, I don't know what you're up to but, you better forget about this."

"He's not for sale." Nora added.

The doctor took a paintbrush and shoved it into her hand. "Nora, go paint your lighthouse." He put an arm around the orphan boy. "Pete, my boy, you're conversant with Elliott. Now, talk to him; tell him how much I need him. Deliver Elliott to me and the five dollars are yours, plus a bottle of my medicine that's guaranteed to bring on puberty two years ahead of time… and that's better than a dragon, hmm?"

"Don't take it Pete!" The boys began shaking their heads vigorously.

"You don't want that!"

"Put off puberty as long as you can!"

"Really boys?" Blaze deadpanned. "That's your biggest concern… puberty?"

Nora stepped in, attempting to calm the situation. "Doc, maybe you should talk to Elliott yourself."

"Wh… where is he? Does he speak English?"

"He's down on the beach," Hikari pointed. They all walked over to where the beach and cave were in clear view.

"Where?"

"Right there, by the water." However, no one could see any dragon down there. Though, they knew he was.

"Right… I still don't see…"

Xally giggled. "That's because he's invisible today!" Everyone joined in her laugher and went back to painting the lighthouse. They could see Terminus and Hoagy standing in front of the foghorn, conversing.

"Hey Pete," Pith motioned to the boy, "I've got an idea…"

He whispered something in his ear and the orphan ran back inside the lighthouse. A moment later, the foghorn sounded, scaring the two men out of their wits. Everyone laughed as Dr. Terminus and Hoagy stumbled away, waiting for their hearing to return.

"That's the first thing you've done that's been funny," Patria smirked to her twin.

"Fog! Fog!" Nora's father came out of the lighthouse, looking about. "Where's the fog!?"

Nora chuckled. "There's not much fog; We were just using the horn to chase off a few buzzards."

"Few buzzards? Nora, how many times must I…?" He looked about, noticing that was everyone painting. "Oh, started already, huh?" Lampie looked over and saw Pete painting the wrong way. "Look, if you're gonna whitewash, son, let your brush go up and down, up… that's the way."

"Up and down, up and down…" The boy moved his brush in time with the words. "This is fun!"

Hikari nodded. "I like painting!"

Lampie looked around at the group. "Well, if it's so much fun, I'm gonna leave it to all of you to finish up, while I go in and take a nice little nap."

"You really are a grandpa," Ryô laughed.

Pete laughed as well. "This is the best time I've ever had in my whole life."

"Really?"

Glacies smiled; considering what she'd heard about the boy's life with the Gogans, she wasn't surprised that this was the best time of his life. "I'm glad you're having a great time."

"It is?" Lampie asked the boy.

"Yea!"

The old man smiled knowingly. "Tell him, Nora."

The woman smiled at the young boy. "Pete, Lampie and I have talked it over. We feel the ime has for you to stop running. If it's all right with you, we'd like you live here with us."

Everyone stopped working and stared at the two adults. Pete's face was one of utter shock. "Oh Nora, Lampie, do you mean this could be my real home?"

"It certainly does."

The boy grinned wildly. "And Elliott too?"

"Well I…"

"Sure," Nora smiled; she still thought Elliott was imaginary. "and Elliott too."

"But Elliott has to live in the cave!" The old man said sternly.

"All right, he will!"

The group gathered around them. "Congrats, Pete!"

"Yea!"

Pete hugged Nora, then he went to hug her father but, the man pulled back as the paintbrush came near to his shirt. "No, no, no! Not on me! Not on me! On the side of the building, please."

The others laughed and got back to whitewashing.

* * *

Patria huffed as she sat on the edge of two boats as the others pulled up lobster traps. She wanted their adventure to be just that, an adventure. However, all they did was scout around, send the young ones to school, whitewash a lighthouse, and now they're pulling up lobsters. When were they to get some fun and some danger?

"I got one! I got one!" Hikari exclaimed excitedly as she pulled up a trap.

As she pulled it out, Pete made a face. "Ugh! It's ugly!"

"Just like your face…" mumbled Patria under her breath. Only her brother heard her, and gave the girl a dirty look.

They all jumped as a high-pitched whiney voice called out, loudly. "Well! It if it isn't our own little Petey!"

"The Gogans!"

Four people with ugly, grimy faces appeared. Patria curled her lip in disgust. "Disregard what I said a minute ago… their faces are ugly!"

The hideous woman grinned at the little orphan boy. "Well, you look so nice and clean, and those new clothes. I guess all those good manner I taught you done paid off."

Her husband, the eldest of the men, looked to Nora. "Who's that pretty lady you're with, little Pete?"

"Yeah…" the other two boys shared a sly grin. "Introduce us… to her and that other pretty one." Glacies drew back as the two boys pointed at her.

Nora however, stood up straight and glared at the Gogans. "I'm Nora, and Pete is staying with me."

"Why boys," the Gogan matriarch whined. "I believe she's tryin' to break up our happy little family."

"Where's Elliott when you need him?"

Justin huffed. "He went off to look for Paul."

"Don't worry. They won't get you. Come on, Dad!" Everyone picked up a paddle and began moving the boat.

The mother of the Gogans grinned. "I guess we're gonna take him back now, miss, to his own home, sweet home. Come on, Pete!"

"You're not taking him anywhere!"

"Okay," the eldest man of the Gogans growled. "We're gonna take him whether you like it or not. Right boys?"

"Right Pa!"

The brothers began arguing and it took their father and mother to end it. The mother pulled out a piece of paper. "That boy is ours! We've got a bill of sale right here, that says he belongs to us! We bought him last year! Now hand him over!"

"Yea… that's not happening." Brim grinned.

Nora put her hands on the orphan's shoulders and called back. "You can't have him. You don't love him. All you've done it break his heart. You'll abuse and use him. Watch out! Or I'll take you apart!"

"Just try it! You'll have to deal with our new pals. Come on out!" The air around the boats filled with Darkball and Air Soldier Heartless.

Patria leapt up. "Heartless! Now we're talking!" The group summoned their weapons.

"Nora! Pete! Lampie! Get down!" Glacies cast a barrier spell around them as the fray began.

The three watched in amazement, while the Gogans watched in horror as their monster friends were taken down. Ryo, knocked a Darkball to Blaze and she fried it to dust with her bare hands. The girl flipped her fire-red hair and smirked. "Now, why don't you four dirt-bags get out of town before we come over there?"

"Come on, boys! Don't be scared! They can't hurt us! It's all a trick!" The Gogans climbed into a small boat and began paddling towards them.

"Yea! Come on over!" Patria held up her blade. "So I can shove my sword up your…"

"Tria!"

The Gogan mother just scowled and shook her fist. "Let's see how tough you are when I get over there. I'll teach you the manners you lack." Everyone jumped as there was a big splash and a, large, unseen figure leapt into the water.

"Elliott!"

Elliott's unseen form went under the water and came under the Gogan's boat, causing it to explode underneath them. The four, filthy people flew through the air and landed with a splash in the water.

"Yea! Eat that, suckers!"

There was a splash nearby as the invisible dragon came out of the water and left the area. Glacies looked down at Pete, Nora, and Lampie. "It's safe now but, we should probably get back to the lighthouse. If the Gogans send some more Heartless, it's a more defensible position."

"Yes," the woman nodded. "G… good idea…"

* * *

"Are you ok, Pete?" Ryô came into the young boy's room with a bowl of soup. "I know the Gogans showing up, probably messed you up pretty bad."

"Yea but, I'm glad you guys were there. Those monsters were super scary."

"I know they can be but, none will hurt you as long as we're here." Ry smiled.

There was a familiar moaning sound at the window and a green dragon face appeared. "Elliot!" The two went to the window, where the dragon stood. "Oh, Elliott, you were terrific the way you saved us from the Gogans."

"You really were."

Elliott moaned a little more, sounding excited. "What…?" There was some more gibberish before the boy's face lit up. "Do you mean it?" The dragon made some more noises and motions, as if he was steering something. "Wow! That's great! You're the most wonderful dragon in the whole world! Wait till I tell Nora!"

"What is it!? What's he saying!?"

The young boy didn't answer; he turned and ran out of the room with the blonde boy behind him. "Nora! Nora! Good news!"

Everyone sat in the main room, looking up as the two boys ran inside. "Pete, what's going on?"

"Elliott found Paul, and he's on his way home!"

All eyes looked towards the woman. "Pete…"

"I wouldn't say anything like that if I were you." Lampie quickly tried to hush the boy.

"I'm cruel and even I wouldn't say anything like that." Patria muttered.

The boy clenched his fists. "But it's true, Elliott said it…"

"Please…"

"There's been enough talk about Paul," Nora sighed, glancing at the picture of her former fiancé. "And Elliott too. Both, no, all of us have to be… realistic. Paul's ship went down; he's not coming back. And I have to adjust my life to it. You have to make a big adjustment too. Pete, you have us now. You don't have to make believe your only friend is a dragon."

Glacies stood up. "Nora, I told you before to open your mind to possible strange things. All of us have weapons that we summon magically, and we've all seen and met the dragon."

"Glacies," the woman said, "You don't have to play with them anymore."

Pete looked at her, his eyes filled with tears. "But I'm not making believe."

"That's what I mean by 'realistic'." Nora ignored the others, only focusing on Pete. "There are no dragons."

"Except for Elliott! He's real. Lampie, you've seen him, haven't you!?"

The elderly man looked away. "Well I… I thought I saw him…"

"Nora!"

"He's real!"

"And believe me, there are a lot weirder things than dragons out there and we're some of them."

Pete nodded. "Wait till Paul gets here. Then you'll know how realistic Elliott is."

"Okay…" Nora nodded. "Until that time, let's try not to talk about it. How about filling the reserve oil can?"

"Sure…" The little boy nodded and headed out the door.

Nora's father looked at her and she looked back at him with a sigh. "Well, at least one of us is entitled to have illusions."

* * *

Later, Hikari and Ryô were down helping Pete bring up some firewood. There was a storm starting to come up and the weather was getting worse by the second. Suddenly, the door was thrown open by Dr. Terminus.

"What are you doing here!?"

"I'm here for Pete!" The man gripped Pete's shoulders. "It's Elliott!"

They all stopped. "What!?"

"Elliott's in Passapaka… Pakadaka…" Hikari snickered as the fact that he couldn't pronounce the town name. "He's in town, and he's tearing the place apart! You've gotta do something!"

Ryô paused. "Pete, would Elliott really…?"

"Oh no!" The boy threw down the wood and ran out the door; Ry followed.

Hikari was right behind them. "Ry, shouldn't we tell the others?"

"No time! We've gotta stop Elliott!"

They ran through town behind the doctor until they came to a boathouse. "He's in there! Come on!"

"Elliott! Elliott!" The blonde boy shoved the large doors open but, there was no dragon. There was only a lot of men, some hanging from the celling in nets; it looked like all out chaos.

Dr. Terminus' partner, Hoagy came forward. "Did you say the primary was really the tertiary?"

The two Keybearers tensed as there was no sign of the dragon. Pete took a few steps forward before asking. "Where's Elliott?"

"Nowhere!" The Gogans came out of the shadows and grabbed Pete. "Your hokey-pokey dragon's out helping Santa Claus pull his sled!"

"LET ME GO!"

"Pete!" Hikari and Ryô ran towards him. However, they froze as an unseen force caused them to become still. "Wh… what's going on… why can't… why can't I move…?"

"And I thought you would be difficult to catch." A boy, dressed in a white cloak came towards them, his hand held out towards the two. His clothes were all white, as was his hair, which fell over his right eye. His skin was so pale, it too, was nearly white; the only thing of color was his gleaming red eye.

"Who are you?"

The boy merely chuckled as Terminus approached. "I knew you would be helpful, Xext! They get Pete, you get the other brats, and I get the dragon!"

"Sounds like a fair deal." Xext smirked. "These two will be the perfect bait to catch the rest of them."

"Let us go…!"

Ryô pulled against the power holding him in place. "How… how are you doing this…?"

"Trade secret…" they boy in white moved his hand and the two lifted into the air and followed his hand. "Now, Hoagy, when you go tell Elliott about Pete, make sure to let their friends know about these two as well. For I can't very well return to my mistress with only some of them."

Hoagy shook his head. "Those kids are just as scary as the dragon! Did you see how they took out those monsters!?"

"Let us fix your fear…" Xext held up his other hand; the other man's eyes began to glow white. "Go and do as you were bid."

"Yes…" the man left without another word.

Hikari gasped. "Mind control!?"

"Indeed, little hero." The white-clad boy laughed, "However, it is more hypnotic suggestion; I know I said what I did was a 'trade secret' but, bragging is more fun… wow, I sound like Lyla." He came closer to the little girl. "I do not have 'mind control' but, body control; it's not as convenient but, it's pretty effective. The hypnotic suggestion piece is just an added bonus to my power which my mistress helped bestow."

"Your mistress…?"

The boy nodded. "Don't worry, you'll meet her soon and she will be the one to whom you will beg for mercy."

"Wanna bet!?"

"Yes… I do."

* * *

"Guys, I haven't seen Hikari, Pete, or Ry since they went to get wood."

"I went down to look for them," Glacies said. "But, they were gone."

Pith crossed his arms. "Let's go check the cave."

"Yea."

They all braced themselves against the wind as they went down to the cavern but, all they found was a sleeping Elliott. "Hey big guy!" The dragon woke up, looking questioningly at the group.

"Have you seen Pete?"

"Or Hikari?"

"What about Ryô?"

Elliott shook his head. Everyone turned as they heard a frightened voice. "El… Elliott… C… can you come out here for a second…? Please…?"

"That's Hoagy."

"What do you want, loser?" Patria huffed.

The man stepped into the cave, timidly. "I… I've… gotta m… message about P… Pete and your t… two f… friends…"

"Huh!?"

"Where are they!? What's happened to them!?"

"T… the G… G… Gogans h… have P…Pete…" This made Elliott get up and start breathing fire in anger, making Hoagy even more nervous. "A… an… and an as… assassin h…has you… your f… f… friends…"

Blaze reached out and grabbed the man by his collar, her eyes lighting up with green flame and her hair turning to fire. "Where. Are. They…?"

"I… I c… can take y…you to th… them…"

"You better!" The pyro growled. "Or Elliott's fire-breath will be the least of your worries!"

* * *

"I told you! There they are!" Hoagy pointed into the boathouse. They could all see Pete in the Gogan's hands and some boy in white had Hikari and Ryô.

"No!" The blonde boy cried out. "It's a trap!"

As the invisible dragon entered the building, all the nets on the celling fell onto the dragon. The Keybearers suddenly froze in place. "Elliott!"

"Why can't we move!?"

Justin closed his eyes and tried to move. His body wasn't cooperating but, his mind was. Using the force, he lifted a nearby wooden beam and hurled it at the boy in white.

The beam hit him in the side, breaking his hold over the group. "That hurt you brat!"

"Yea! And so will this!" Hikari brought down Shining Star onto Xext's head.

The boy kicked her away and jumped to his feet, summoning a green and white energy around his hand. "Fine… who cares if you're all a little dinged up, we're going to kill you anyways. This will only prolong your suffering!"

Glacies held up a hand. "Some of you go help Pete and Elliott! We'll handle this guy." Yuyake, Brimstone, Blaze, Justin, Xally, and Ry went to go help the boy and dragon.

"What do you want with us, Xext?" Hikari yelled.

He shrugged, "It's what the contract says, and that's all we care about." He charged. Patria leapt over the others and charged. Xext merely smirked and held out his hand, freezing her in place.

"Let my sister go!" Pith came around Patria and slammed Dramatic Fighter into Xext. The white-clad boy dodged but, it released his hold in the older twin.

Glacies and Hikari came forward, slashing at the boy. However, he used his strange energy to block their attacks. Patria took a look at the boy's legs, since she was on the ground after Xext released her from his hold. The only class she ever paid attention to in school was biology, and she was about to use that.

"My mistress shall be more than pleased when I bring back our prizes… AHHGG!" Xext fell to the ground as the pointed end of Patria's Keyblade stuck through his leg.

"That's right!" The girl grinned maliciously. "Oh, and do you know where my sword is sticking? Right into the main artery in your leg. The moment I pull it out, you have about two minutes before you bleed to death. So, I'd get moving." She jerked the sword out, none to gently.

Xext groaned as blood began pouring out. However, he knew she was right. If he didn't get help fast, he could die. He summoned a green portal and went through without hesitation. "I won't forget this…"

"Are you certain her mom is a Princess of Heart?"

"I really don't know anymore…"

Patria stood up and crossed her arms. "Are you going to just stand there or are we going to help the others?"

However, the rest of them were doing fine. Elliott was free of the net and chasing after the wagon that the Gogans were trying to escape with Pete in. The dragon grabbed the wagon and Brimstone grabbed the sack that held Pete and untied it.

"Thanks!" Pete jumped out of the sack.

"You just listen to me!" the Gogan mother screeched. "That there boy belongs to me! I paid fifty dollars for him, plus legal fee, and I got a bill of sale right here to prove it!" She held up the paper.

Blaze pushed past her brother and went right up to the woman. "Not anymore." She touched one finger to the paper and it lit up in flames. Her hair began blazing. "Now… GET OUT!" Her shout scared the Gogan's donkey and the wagon took off with the four people chasing after it.

"Nice one!" Pith grinned, however his eye caught Dr. Terminus and Hoagy nearby. They were aiming a harpoon at Elliott! "Guys! Look out!" The younger twin threw a Strike Raid, knocking the harpoon's aim off and skyward just as it fired.

The rope attatched to the harpoon became tangled around the doctor's foot dragging him with it. As it became stuck in a telephone wire, Dr. Terminus hung upside down. "Elliott! Elliott!" The doctor called out. The dragon came over and listened. "I've got a deal for you! All the pieces you don't need, like if a tooth falls out, or your hair, or you shed your skin, I'll pay top dollar for it!"

"That's it!? You wanted Elliott so you could used pieces of him to make your phoney remedies!?" Yuyake scowled. "That's sick!"

The dragon didn't seem interest either, he just went over and pushed Dr. Terminus' wagon into the ocean. Justin shook his head. "I hope those horrible potions don't poison the fish…"

"Watch those stairs…" A new voice caught everyone's attention. It was the mayor and a couple of townsfolk. There was a pause as the wind began to knock over an electrical pole and it fell towards the mayor and the others. Elliott gasped and caught the pole. The mayor stared in awe as Elliott threw the pole away from people. "Th… there really is a dragon!"

"Yes, and he saved us!"

"A dragon… a real dragon!"

The entire group smiled however, the moment was broken as the foghorn sounded from the lighthouse. "That's not good! The foghorn shouldn't be sounding unless… oh no! The light might be out and if that happened…"

"Let's get back to the lighthouse!

Elliott and Pete flew against the wind while the others ran as fast as they could to the lighthouse. The light was out and the wind and waves were picking up. As they came up to the top, Elliott began squeezing his way in.

"Lampie! What's the matter!?"

"Everything is wet in here, that's what the matter."

"Well," Brimstone shrugged. "I or my sister could help but, Elliott's here."

The old man looked up. "Elliott! That's all I need is a dragon in here. Ah!" Elliott stuck his head in, just at that moment. "Get him outta here!"

"He can light the wick for you, though! Do it, Elliott!" The dragon took a deep breath in and blew out but, all that came out was smoke.

"Where's the fire?" He moaned a little bit.

"What's up?" The dragon grunted a bit.

Pete became concerned. "He's all squished up in the stairs."

"Great…"

As the dragon continued his attempt at breathing fire, Nora came from outside the beacon and looked in. "El… Elliott?" Said dragon said a few gibberish words. "He's real! He's really real!"

"We told you…"

"He's gonna light the wick!"

The woman looked stunned. "Can he do it?"

"Can he!?" her father exclaimed. "He can throw a flame clear across to Bar Harbor if he can get his own burner going." Just then, Elliott got a flame going; it hit the wick but didn't light it.

"Come on!"

"Blow Elliott!"

"Blow!"

"You can do it!"

"Come on Elliott!"

He took one last breath in and blew a strong flame and the wick lit.

"YEA!"

Nora looked out and saw an approaching ship get safely around the reef, before turning back. "Elliott, I could give you a great big kiss." Elliott suddenly became nervous, as the woman approached. As she kissed his nose, he vanished in a poof of sparks.

Everyone laughed. However, Ryô paused. "Guys look!" On the beacon appeared a very familiar shape. "The Keyhole!"

"Now, how to get the lock piece out…" Pith stepped forward and held out his Keyblade. The blade lit up as a small object came from the Keyhole and landed in the boy's hand. "Never mind." The lock piece looked like a small silver prism.

"We… we got one."

Glacies took the small object and smiled. "One step closer to finding our parents…" She turned to Nora, Lampie, and Pete. "Thank you for everything but, we have to get going. Our parents are out there and we have to find them."

"No, thank you," Nora smiled. "You've helped us so much."

Pete nodded. "You helped save me and Elliott! Thanks so much!"

"You're welcome."

"Goodbye… and good luck!"

"Bye…!"

* * *

**We finished the first world! Yea!**

**And who is Xext?**

**Please review!**

**_On a new world, where the poor are oppressed and it's up to a thief to take care of them. _**

**_Next time in…_**** Sherwood Forest!**

* * *

Xext: _A mysterious boy with strange powers. He was after the group to take them to his mystery mistress. He seems to enjoy inflicting pain but, not on the same level as Larxene once did. (_Voiced by: Jerry Jewell)

* * *

**Hey guys. This Father's day, my church is holding a special service. If you don't have a home church and would like to watch via live stream online, please message me.**

* * *

**Rejected**

We have seen how Pete has been pushed away by other people throughout the last two chapters.

Jesus was also rejected, by his own people and family. In Isaiah 53: 3-8 it reads, "_He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one- to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgement he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?"_

Even Jesus, was pushed away by people, and still is today. Despite all he's done for us, in taking our sins upon himself. He knew he would be cast out and killed and still he died for us, despite the fact he would be an outcast.

He was beaten and ridiculed by the people he came to save and still he asked God to forgive them and still he died for them. They crucified him and he still died to save them; do you not think that Jesus, at any point, could've said 'I don't want to do this' and could've left. He was fully God and fully man, he could've come off that cross if he really wanted to. But, he still endured suffering and death for the people who rejected him.

All because he loved us.

* * *

**Guys, I want to open this place up to you. If you have any questions about God or Christianity, I want to hear them. I want to let you ask what you want and I, will answer in a devotion. **


	10. Chapter 9: Sherwood Forest

**Here's the next chapter!**

**I adore this movie so much!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**_Robin Hood_**** © to Disney!**

**All my OCs © to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Sherwood Forest**

* * *

Justin sat at the main console; everyone else was asleep, save him and Glacies. His eyes opened as he sensed another lock piece. "Master Glacies… you might want to wake everyone up. I've found another lock piece."

"It's really early… none of them are gonna be happy about us waking them up." Glacies stood. "And, master or not, I don't want to be on the receiving end of Patria and/or Blaze's wrath… but, looks like I have to anyways..."

* * *

The group stood in the main room. "So what world are we at now…?"

"Don't know… I've never seen it before. It's a brand new world…"

"Let's get moving."

* * *

"I knew this would happen! I just knew it!"

"Yea!"

"This is awesome!"

Glacies was a brown-furred lynx with blue spots

Brimstone and Blaze became two fruit bats, Blaze with red fur, and Brimstone with dark brown.

Ryo was a yellow leopard with darker yellow spots.

Patria and pith were two foxes, crimson and brown-furred respectively.

Xally became a squirrel with orange fur and Justin became one with brown fur.

Yuyake became a black-furred polecat.

Hikari turned into a pink and yellow rabbit. All wore medieval looking clothing.

"I'm a fox…" Patria swished her tail.

"Hey Patria," Brimstone chuckled. "You're a female fox, so that makes you a vix…"

"Say it and I will END you!"

Glacies shook her head. The group jumped as a trumpet sounded. "What's going on over there?" Two towers stood with elephant guards on each one, streamers and balloons covered the outer walls.

"Looks like some kind of party."

"I guess you could call it that." A voice spoke. There stood a rooster, holding a mandolin. "It's an archery tournament."

Hikari clapped her hands. "Oh that sounds fun! Is it free to watch?"

"Of course, young lady. Oh, and my name is Alan-A-Dale. What are yours?"

After introductions, Justin coughed into his paw. "Alan, who is this?" He pointed to a wanted poster with a fox in a green tunic.

The rooster seemed very pleased. "That's Robin Hood! Now don't let that wanted poster fool you; he's a good man. You see, our king, King Richard is off on a crusade and his no-good brother, Prince John, is ruling us right now. Prince John taxes the heart and soul out of the poor people of Nottingham and Robin does his best to help the people. He, as you may say, 'robs the rich to feed the poor'. Everyone loves him, except for the prince and the Sheriff of Nottingham."

"He sounds like someone I could get along with," Yuyake smiled.

"Now, no one can know but," he lowered his head and voice. "Robin's in the archery tournament; he's in disguise, though."

Pith nodded. "Oh, I could certainly get along with this guy."

"Why don't we go watch the tournament then?"

* * *

Alan stood beside the group along with a fat, badger, friar known as Friar Tuck. "So, I'm guessing that is Prince John." Ryô pointed to the crowned lion sitting on a platform, beside him sat a bear, a female fox, and a chicken.

"Who are the others, though?"

Friar Tuck chuckled and whispered. "The ladies are Maid Marian and Lady Kluck, the bear is secretly Robin Hood's best friend, Little John. Now, you may not know it but, Maid Marian and Robin Hood are in love."

"How cute!"

"Sick…" Patria huffed, "So, where is the gentlemen thief?"

The friar subtly pointed at a long-legged stork competing in the tournament. "That's him."

"He's good at disguises."

For some reason, the minstrel and friar walked off. The tournament went on until only Robin and a fat wolf, who was the Sherriff of Nottingham, were left. The wolf fired an arrow, and it hit the bull's eye.

"He better not win!" Patria growled. "That would make this one crappy tournament."

"I don't think it'll be that easy to beat you-know-who, if he's as good as Friar Tuck said." As if to prove Justin right, the stork fired an arrow but, the sheriff knocked up the end of his bow, causing the arrow to fly skyward. However, this did not phase the thin-legged archer, who only pulled out another arrow, and shot at the one already in the sky; this second arrow, hit the first, caused it to spin and point back towards the target. Everyone watched in amazement as the arrow hit the bull's eye, causing the sheriff's arrow to split in half and fall off.

The spectators all cheered. Brimstone flapped his wings happily. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!"

The stork strutted to the royal box. The skinny, crowned, lion stood up, holding a sword; Glacies looked at Maid Marian and could tell that she knew that the stork was really Robin in disguise. Prince John cleared his throat and approached the stork. "Archer I commend you, and because of… your superior skill, you shall get what is coming to you. Our royal congratulations…"

"Oh, thank you kindly, Your Highness." Robin shook the prince's hand vigorously. "Meetin' you face-to-face, your High and Mighty, is a real treat!"

"Release the royal fingers!" The lion pulled back. "Ah! And now I name you… the winner," He tapped the archer's shoulders with the sword and then stuck the sword under his shirt, ripping off the stork disguise, revealing the green-clad fox. "Or, more appropriately, the loser! Seize him…" A large group of rhino guards attacked the fox, subduing him in rope and chains. "I now sentence you to sudden, instant and even… immediate death!"

"You mangy king wanna-be!" Patria hollered, getting her dirty looks from the guards and prince himself.

However, Prince John's attention was drawn to some weeping at his right side; it was Maid Marian. "Oh no! Please… please, sire. I beg of you to spare his life. Please have mercy!"

"My dear emotional lady, why should I?"

"Because I love him, Your Highness."

"'Love him'?" the Prince seemed surprised. "And does this prisoner return your love?"

As eyes fell upon the imprisoned fox, he looked up. "Marian, my darling, I love you more than life itself."

"Awww…" Xally cooed.

"Ah, young love." Prince John said slowly. "Your pleas have not fallen upon a heart of stone… but traitors to the Crown must die!"

Robin Hood narrowed his eyes. "Traitor to the Crown? That crown belongs to King Richard! Long live King Richard!"

"LONG LIVE KING RICHARD!"

Blaze grinned. "You're the real traitor!"

"You bring shame to your family!"

"You usurper!"

The lion began throwing a temper tantrum. "Enough! I am king! King! King! Arrest those urchins! And OFF WITH HIS HEAD!"

A platoon of soldiers surrounded the group as a rhino, carrying an axe, approached Robin. Maid Marian began sobbing. "Oh no…"

"STOP!" Executioner, stop! Hold your axe!" Prince John cried out frantically. "Sheriff, release my buddy… I mean release the prisoner, and the children."

"Release them?"

Lady Kluck jumped up. "You heard what he said, bushel britches!"

"Sheriff," choked the prince. "I make the rules, and since I am the head man… Let them go, for heaven's sakes! Let them go!"

As Robin Hood was untied and the rhino soldiers back off from the Keybearers, everyone cheered. "Yee-hee! Love conquers all!"

The crowd pushed the group forward as Maid Marian ran to her beloved. The outlaw fox smiled at Marian. "I owe my life to you, my darling."

"I couldn't have lived without you, Robin."

"Thank you," Robin turned to look at the group. "I owe thanks to all of you as well."

"Just doing what we can," Glacies smiled, bowing her head.

"KILL THEM!" Suddenly, Prince John leapt up, anger blazing in his eyes. "Don't stand there! Kill them!" Everyone drew weapons and the battle began. Most of the crowd scattered, while a few joined in the fight, Lady Kluck and Maid Marian were two of the few.

Patria ran up to Prince John and dismissed her sword. "Hey, you! You sissy kitty cat!"

"How dare you speak to me like tha…" He couldn't get another word out as the crimson fox clocked him in the jaw.

"Later LOSER!"

Prince John grabbed his jaw and hollered. "Seize that girl!"

"To borrow a phrase from my family's old enemy…. AS IF!" Patria danced in and out of the charging rhinos; all the others were with Robin Hood, and already in the forest. As she stood by the forest entrance, she paused and turned to smirk. "Later you mangy, traitorous, pus…" However, Little John grabbed her and drug her into the forest.

* * *

"You guys are some brave kids!" Little John clapped Yuyake on the back. "And you," he pointed at Patria. "You're either brave, crazy, or both!"

Patria smirked. "Probably a bit of both, I'll admit."

"Hush, hush!" Friar Tuck called out. "They're coming!" Everyone fell silent as Robin Hood and Maid Marian came into the clearing.

The vixen leaned on Robin's shoulder and sighed, "Oh, Robin, what a beautiful night. I wish it would never end."

"SURPRISE! Long live Robin Hood!"

The entire congregation leapt out from hiding. "HOORAY!"

"AND LONG LIVE MAID MARIAN!"

"BRAVO!"

"HEAR, HEAR!"

"BRAVO, BRAVO!"

Lady Kluck leapt up. "And down with that scurvy Prince John!"

"Yea!" Alan-a-Dale and a couple others started playing some music.

"Oh no… no singing…" Sora's daughter huffed.

Despite her protest, Little John began singing:

_"Oh, the world will sing of an English king a thousand years from now_

_And not because he passed some laws or had that lofty brow_

_While bonny good King Richard leads the great crusade he's on_

_We'll all have to slave away for that good-for-nothing John_

_Incredible as he is inept _

_Whenever the history books are kept_

_They'll call him the phony king of England!"_

The villagers all laughed and called out"

_"A pox on that phony king of England!"_

Friar Tuck and the blacksmith, Otto made a pupped of Prince John and his snake stooge, Hiss and began making fun of them. Even making Justin crack a smile.

_"He sits alone on the giant throne pretendin' he's the king_

_A little tyke who's rather like a puppet on a string_

_And he throws an angry tantrum if he cannot have his way_

_And then he calls for Mom while he's suckin' his thumb."_

The clearing lit up with gales of laughter as the puppet acted out these very actions.

_"You see, he doesn't wanna play…_

_Too late to be known as John the First_

_He's sure to be known as John the Worst_

_A pox on that phony king of England!"_

As the townspeople began dancing to the music, the group all joined in. Ryô reached over and grabbed Blaze's paw. "Care for a dance?"

"You know it, bright boy!" The two twirled around, the yellow leopard, using his dancing skills to lift his partner into the air, swinging her about to the music.

As Little John got ready to sing again. A certain, brown fruit bat tapped his shoulder. "Sorry Little John but, why don't you let the professionals handle this? Ry, sis! Let's show them how to do it!" The two stopped dancing and joined Brimstone as he began:

_"While he taxes us to pieces and he robs us of our bread…"_

Blaze took over:

_"King Richard's crown keeps slippin' down around that pointed head…"_

Then, Ryô sang:

_"Ah, but while there is a merry man in Robin's wily pack…"_

The trio sung together:

_"We'll find a way to make him pay and steal our money back!"_

Little John pushed himself into the group:

_"A minute before he knows we're there_

_Old Rob'll snatch his underwear!"_

Everyone, once again burst out laughing.

_"The breezy and uneasy king of England_

_The snivelin', grovelin'_

_Measly, weaselly_

_Blabberin', jabberin'_

_Jibberin' jabberin'_

_Plunderin', plottin'_

_Wheelin', dealin'_

_Prince John that phony king of England!"_

* * *

"You kids might want to stay here." Robin Hood spoke after everyone else, save Maid Marian and Lady Kluck, went home; Robin and Little John lived in the forest. "After you guys caused as much trouble as you did, Prince John'll be looking for you."

"Probably a good idea," Pith glanced at his sister.

"We can help you too!"

Brimstone yawned. "Yea but, we can start helping in the morning. I'm bushed…"

"Let's get some sleep then."

* * *

Over the next few days, Pith, in disguise, went into Nottingham; the prince had imprisoned the entire town because they couldn't pay the taxes, with were raised in retaliation to Prince John's humiliation at the archery tournament.

One day, Robin and Little John went with him. The sheriff stood in the castle courtyard with the two, vulture guards, Trigger and Nutsy. They were setting up a scaffold for a hanging.

The large bear waited outside the walls as Robin, dressed as a blind beggar, and Pith, disguised as a lame beggar, went inside. The young fox allowed the thief to take the lead. "Alms, alms for the poor… Do me old ears hear the melodious voice of the sheriff?"

"That's right, old man."

"What be goin' on 'ere?" Pith tapped the scaffold with one of his crutches.

The Sheriff began fitting up the trapdoor. "We're gonna hang Friar Tuck."

"No! Hang Friar… hang Friar Tuck?"

"But 'e is a man of the church. Yer still gonna 'ang him?"

Nutsy gave a nod from atop the scaffold. "You betcha. At dawn, and maybe it'll even be a double hangin'."

"Shh!" Trigger scowled. "Dummy up, you dummy!"

"A double 'angin'…?" Pith said thoughtfully.

Robin nodded. "Who'll be the other one who gets the rope?"

Trigger jumped down, pointing his crossbow at the two. "Sheriff, they're getting' too all-fired nosy."

"Oh, we didn't mean nothin'. But, um, couldn't there be trouble if Robin Hood showed up?"

"Well, wouldn't you know, Sheriff," Nutsy chuckled. "He guessed it!"

"Nutsy! Button your beak!"

Pith waved a paw. "Ah, no need to worry…"

"Yes," Robin smiled, "The sheriff be too crafty, too clever, and too smart for the likes of him, says I."

The made the fat wolf smile. "Ya hear that, Nutsy? For bein' blind, he sure knows a good man when he sees one, says I."

The two pretend beggars began hobbling out of the courtyard as Trigger huffed. "Sheriff, I still got a feelin' that those snoopy codgers know too much."

"Oh, shut up, Trigger. They're just two harmless beggars."

Pith, Robin Hood, and Little John hurried back to the forest.

* * *

"They can't hang Friar Tuck!"

"We've gotta do something!"

"We can't just sit here!"

"What'll we do, Robin!?"

The fox looked around. "A jailbreak, tonight, is the only chance he's got!"

"A jailbreak," his best friend protested. "There ain't no way you can get him."

"We've got to, or Friar Tuck dies at dawn…"

* * *

The group, Robin Hood, and Little John snuck over the walls; it looks as if Prince John was ready for them. Armed guards traversed every rampart, Trigger and Nutsy paced in front of the jail, the Sheriff sat asleep before the door, and rhino guards had the front gate blocked.

They slipped along in the shadows. Little John snagged Nutsy as he passed by their hiding spot and let Robin put on his clothing and take his place. Glacies looked at the others in the group. "We can go with Little John since our Keyblades can unlock all of the doors in the prison. Blaze and Brim, since you two don't have Keyblades, you can go with Robin and get the gold from Prince John."

"Sounds good."

Robin got the keys from the sheriff and opened the jail door. The Keybearers all headed upstairs with the bear as the two fruit bats followed the fox. Little John released Friar Tuck with the keys and the others went to where everyone else was imprisoned and began unlocking their chains.

Blaze and Brim flew up to Prince John's bedroom, with Robin Hood in tow. The lion lay asleep with bags of gold all around, Sir Hiss laying in a little bed at the foot of the prince's. Using an arrow and rope, the thief created a way to transport the gold across to the prison. The three attached the gold bags to the rope and the others reeled them into the prison where the townspeople took the bags.

Glacies led the escaping prisoners with Pith and Justin as the others took the rear.

When there was one bag left, the two bats flew out the window as the fox grabbed the rope. However, Hiss caught on to the rope and drug Prince John with him, waking him up, and alerting him to the situation.

"Guys! Keep them covered!" Xally yelled as the soldiers began trying to recapture the people.

They got them all into a wagon but, just as they were pulling out of the courtyard, a mother rabbit cried out, "Stop! Stop! My baby!"

A little baby rabbit had been left behind. Robin Hood, Justin, and Hikari went back for her. Dodging the archers' arrows, they caught her and ran back towards the exit but, the iron bars came crashing down, blocking their way.

"Kari!" Pith ran to the bars, only for his cousin to hand the baby rabbit, through the bars, to him.

"Get going! We'll be fine!" Scrambling up the iron gate, the three dodged the spears of the soldiers. The chase went all around the castle with more than one close call. Eventually, the three heroes found themselves back in Prince John's room.

"Watch Out!" The Sheriff of Nottingham stood behind them with a torch and a sword and began lighting everything on fire.

"This time, none of you will get away!"

Hikari and Justin summoned their Keyblades as Robin drew a sword. "We shall see." They clashed with the sheriff, his brute strength overpowering the two, young Keyblade wielders. Justin leapt back, using the Force to lift up a burning chair, and hurling it at the enemy. This stunned him enough to allow Robin and Hikari to get in and slash at him a few times.

However, the flames grew too high and too hot, so the three retreated up the tower stairs, the blaze forcing them to climb atop the tower and the flames curled up around them.

The rest of the group, along with Little John, and a rabbit named Skippy, stood on the others side of the moat, watching. "YOU GUYS GOTTA JUMP!"

From where they stood, Blaze was able to use her abilities to part the flames of the tower, giving them a clear jump down to the moat. The two Keybladers leapt off first and the guards paid them no heed, for they were not their targets. As they both clambered onto the shore, Robin Hood jumped into the moat.

"Kill him! Kill him!" Prince John stood on the ramparts, as his archers began firing at the floundering fox. Robin tried to swim away but, he disappeared under the water.

"Robin!"

"Come on, Rob. Come on!"

"He's just gotta make it."

To their despair, Robin Hood's cap, an arrow sticking out of it.

"No!"

"No… no, no…"

"This can't happen…"

"What are we gonna tell Marian…?"

Patria glared as she saw Prince John celebrating atop the castle walls. Skippy, however, pulled on her sleeve, "He's gonna make it, isn't he, Patria?" The girl looked down at him and shook her head, slowly. The rabbit child lowered his head before looking out at the moat. "Hey… what's that?" Everyone looked up and saw a reed moving through the water, towards them. "Look it! Look it!"

"Huh…" Little John leant over the reed and a jet of water shot out as a familiar orange head surfaced.

"Robin!"

The bear wiped his face and smiled at his best friend. "Oh man, did you have me worried, Rob. I thought you were long gone."

"Ah, not Robin Hood," the bunny boy jumped into the fox's arms. "He could've swum twice that far, huh, Mr. Robin Hood, sir?" The look on the fox's face said that, that accusation wasn't quite true.

"Now, why don't we show that loser up?" Patria pointed up where Prince John ran to the ramparts and looked down.

"A POX ON THAT PHONY KING OF ENGLAND! OO-DE-LALLY!"

The castle continued to burn as the party made their way back to Robin's hideout, where all the townspeople awaited them.

* * *

"Oh Robin!" Maid Marian ran into his arms. "I was so worried."

"She was right to…" Brim whispered to his sister.

The thief only smiled. "Oh, I'm all right."

Everyone jumped as a light shone from the entrance of Robin's hideout. "A Keyhole!"

"Dibs!" Hikari jumped up and summoned her sword. Out of the Keyhole came another silver prism. She held it close to her heart. "Dad… I'm coming…"

"What was that!?"

"It means we have to go," Glacies bowed her head respectfully.

Maid Marian smiled. "Well, thank you for all you've done."

"Yea, you kids have been a great help."

"Thanks you guys…"

The heroes all smiled and waved as they went back to the gummi ship…

* * *

"I have opposable thumbs again!" exclaimed Yuyake.

"And no tails!"

Pith laughed. "That was actually fun; I see why Dad always talked about those kind of worlds."

At the mention of 'dad' everyone's smiles fell. "So, how many more lock pieces do you think there are?"

"I hope there's not many… I wanna find my parents."

Xally took her cousin's hand. "Justin, let's try and find the next one."

"Sure…"

* * *

Aqua lay in darkness, a gentle sound of waves filling her ears; she sat up, suddenly. "Children!" Her eyes widened as she found herself back on the beach in the Realm of Darkness, Ansem the Wise at her side. "What!? How did I get here?"

"Do you not remember?" the cloaked man asked. "You arrived here earlier, not too long ago."

"No… we escaped this place… we both got out. We defeated Xehanort. Terra and I we… we got married and we have four kids…"

Ansem looked at her. "Was one named 'Glacies?"

"Yes…"

"You mentioned that name while you were sleeping. You must have dreamed the entire thing up."

The woman looked out at the waves, tears coming to her eyes. "A dream… then… none of it was real…" Her mind reached for the memory of those children she called her own. "Th… they were a dream…"

* * *

**Oh no… Aqua ;_;**

**Please review!**

**_The gang goes to world they've all heard of, and things come to a head as a feud breaks out between Justin and Xally… and who is this mysterious warrior who wants them all dead?_**

**In: Olympus Coliseum!**

* * *

**I don't know if you guys saw this last time but, I want to open up a Q and A. **

**If you guys have any questions about God or anything like that, just ask and I'll write a devo addressing it.**

* * *

**Divide**

If you live in America today, or even anywhere in the world, the growing racial divide is ripping things apart. In America, we had what just recently happened in Charleston, South Carolina.

It saddens me that something so trivial as skin color causes so much divide. I am white and I went to school, and I work at places where white is the minority. Race should never play a factor in friendships or anything, especially if you're a Christian.

In Galatians 3:28, it is written, _"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."_ When this verse was written, Jews and Gentiles were the racial divide in the world. This verse states that, in the body of Christ Jesus, there is no real race, there are humans.

What if we just looked at people as people and not as 'black', 'white', 'Hispanic', etc.?

For are we all not people and children of the Most High God?

Acts 10:34-35:

"_Opening his mouth, Peter said: 'I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him." _


	11. Chapter 10: Olympus Coliseum

**Yea! **

**Five hours in a car sure gives you time to finish a chapter! **

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Hercules and all Jedi/Star Wars references © to Disney!**

**Therimachus, Deicoon, and Creontiades © to rightful owners (I don't know)!**

**All my OCs © to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Olympus Coliseum**

* * *

"Leave me alone!"

"Our first duty is to respect the order of the Jedi!"

Xally growled. "We left the Jedi order years ago! We don't have to abide by their rules anymore!"

"You can't keep that! I do not care if we left the order; all the other Jedi are gone! We have to uphold the order!"

"We don't have to!" Xally yelled. "The rules of the Jedi don't have to apply to us anymore. I never liked those rules. We couldn't fall in love, we couldn't own anything but our robes and lightsabers, and that's just the beginning of the rules! As Keyblade wielders we don't have to do those things!"

Justin took a deep breath. "You and I have to uphold the Jedi…"

"Ugh! You're not listening!" Xally turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Glacies watched as the young apprentice went to her own room. "Again… really…?"

"What the heck was that about?" Yuyake asked.

The Keyblade Master sighed. "You know of the Jedi order, right?" The boy nodded. "Well, those two used to be a part of it, when they were little, however, they came to live with my family instead. Xally gave up on all the strict Jedi rules not long after leaving because they were stifling her; Justin, however, continues to uphold the Jedi code and gets on Xally for not doing the same."

"Do they argue all the time about it?"

"Believe me…" Glacies plopped down in a seat. "All the time…"

"Maybe a new world will calm them down," Ryô grinned.

Pith nodded. "Remember, they pointed out the next world we should go to last night, and it's one that we've all heard of?"

"Let's get down there, then."

* * *

The group came in the coliseum gates. "Wow, this place is just as impressive as Dad said." Patria muttered.

"HEADS UP!" A spear flew overhead.

A young man with orange hair came running up. "Sorry about that…"

"Coon!" a satyr came stomping up to him. "You're gonna get someone hurt if you don't watch where you're throwing that thing!"

"Sorry Phil…"

"PHIL!?" Xally clasped her hands. "You're THE Phil!?"

The satyr grinned. "That's me but, who are you guys?" He took a better look at them. "Do I know you kids?"

"You knew our parents."

He stared at them harder; Patria rolled her eyes and summoned her Keyblade. "Figured it out yet?"

"Wait! No way! You can't be their kids?!" He grinned. "If you're their kids, then, you guys must be here for the tournament!"

"Sounds like fun! Let's join in!"

"Hey Phil, who are these guys?" A man in armor with a woman in purple approached.

Phil jabbed a thumb at the kids. "Hey, Herc, Meg, these are the kids of Sora and the others!"

"No way!"

After all the introductions, the man walked up and shook all their hands. "It's nice to meet all of you!"

The boy who threw the spear and two others, another with orange hair and the third with brown hair, came forward. "Father… aren't we going to spar?"

"Just a moment, Therimachus." Hercules smiled.

"Hello… who are you?

Megara looked that three boys. "These three are our sons, Therimachus, Deicoon, and Creontiades."

The smallest boy walked over to Xally. "Hello there, what's your name?"

"Um… m… my name is Xally…" the former Jedi blushed lightly at the handsome young man. "A...and y...your Creontiades...?"

"My friends call me Creon."

Xally smiled. "Nice to meet you, Creon."

"Same to you, Xally." He took her hand and kissed it.

Justin watched this and glared. No way was he going to allow her to break the code like this! However, before he could speak, Phil ushered the three boys away, "Ok rookies! Break time's over, get back to your training!"

"Come on Phil!"

Hercules watched them go before turning back to the group. "Well, you guys are welcome here! You can do some training or enter the games if you want."

"Um, Mr. Hercules, sir…" Ryô asked, "We're actually searching for the Keyhole. I know Uncle Sora found it here once; would you happen to know where it is?"

"I sure do; but, don't call me Mr. just Hercules or Herc will do."

"Ok! Thanks!"

* * *

"Look here kid! Just help me out and I'll…"

"Not interested." A boy with dark skin, pale blue hair, dressed in a blue-green and teal jumpsuit pushed past Hades. His green eyes flashed as her fixed the lord of the dead. "I have my orders and there was a specific not about not complying with pests, such as yourself."

"PEST!" Hades' hair flared up angrily.

The boy reached for the giant hammer on his back. "You do not want me as an enemy but, what I am doing will, eventually be of help to you. So, just keep out of my way." With that, he left, walking into the coliseum.

Patria watched this from a distance. She didn't like that boy; something seemed wrong about him. "Looks like Hades couldn't make a chump out of that guy…"

"Geez-louise! That kid was worse than a hydra with a headache… wait, well now, she might do better."

"Oh no…" The red-head rolled her eyes as Hades came over to her. "Buzz off…"

The lord of the dead smiled. "Oh, come on kid, I'm here to help you. Let me guess, all that power is causing you trouble?"

"Listen, sulfur brains! I'm not interested in anything you have to say or offer!"

"Ok, ok, sheesh… hold on…" he looked her over. "Do I… know you?"

Patria smirked. "Not me but, my parents, yes."

Hades stared at her… wait… crimson hair, those brilliant blue eyes, and all those crowns on her clothes… it couldn't be? "Ha! You're the twerp of Keyboy and Cherry-tart aren't you?"

"One of two, yea." She summoned her Keyblade. "And I'm certain you wouldn't want to get on my bad side."

"Oh come on, my little Persimmon, I'm only here to…"

"Persimmon!" the girl gagged. "Get out of here, creep, before I hurt you!" She strode away, head held high.

"Yeesh… For the brat of a hero of a hero of light and his princess she's pretty… dark. Too bad she turned me down; she'd be perfect to serve me."

The coliseum doors slammed shut. "Why won't she ever listen to me!?" Justin stormed out after another argument with his cousin.

"Well, I think I just found my next recruit…"

* * *

Xally stormed into the practice arena, still thinking about the argument with Justin.

* * *

_"Don't think I didn't see that, Xally."_

_"Justin, what are you talking about?" The girl asked._

_"That boy, Creon." The Jedi Keyblader huffed. "You need to stay away from him. If not you might form an attachment to him and the Code says…"_

_He froze as Xally's hand came in contact with his face. "Just stop! I gave up the Jedi Cod years ago! I don't have to abide by those rules and you can't make me!"_

_"We must keep the order in place!"_

_The girl clenched her fists, grabbing her fellow apprentice's shirt. "If you want to keep following those stupid rules, go ahead! See if I care! Just stay out of my life!" Pushing him away, she crossed her arms. "Oh, and, it's not like I'm going to marry Creon. I barely know him… he's just sweet and handsome. That's it! So, you have nothing to worry about…"_

_"Xally!" He grabbed her arm. "How can you abandon something you've followed since birth? How can you dishonor the order like that?"_

_"THE JEDI ORDER IS DEAD!" With those words, she stormed out._

* * *

"Xally, are you ok?" She looked up to see Creon and his brothers.

She sighed. "Yea… just frustrated with my cousin."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Xally smiled as they led her to a bench. "Could you two tell me your names again… they were really long and I can't really remember them?"

"Of course," the oldest nodded. "I am Therimachus but, everyone just calls me Machus."

"The name's Deicoon; call me Coon."

"Ok…" the girl giggled. "Justin and I used to be part of this order with a lot of stifling rules. When we left, I gave those rules up but, he hasn't and tries to make me follow them still. He got mad because you said hello to me, Creon, and I blushed. He says that I'm not allowed to make attachments, when what happened was really nothing…"

Coon shoved his younger brother playfully. "Nothing but a bit of flirting… I can call Aphrodite if you'd like…"

"Coon! This is serious." Machus barked.

Xally giggled a little at the joke but, she stopped as Creon put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, forget what he says. You can live by those rules if you want, or not. It's your choice and he's just being cruel by trying to take that from you." His kind smile caused her to blush once again.

As they talked, Justin watched from the shadows with Hades behind him. "See there, the brats of Jerkules are trying to get her away from the Code. Now, if you just go over and yell at them, they'll be all over you but, if you do as I suggested…"

"I see…" the boy nodded. "I don't trust you but, what you say does make sense. I'll do it." He strode towards them, a hard look in his eyes.

Coon, Machus, and Creon stood up and got in front of Xally. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to speak with you, Creon." The young gladiator cocked his head. "I'm challenging you in the tournament later today… for Xally."

"WHAT!?"

The girl jumped to her feet. "Justin! What are you doing!?"

"If I beat you, then you never speak to my cousin again but, if I lose, I won't bother her about forming attachments anymore. How does that sound?"

Xally stood there, speechless. Why would her cousin do something like this? Her eyes traveled to Creon who nodded. "Ok. It's a deal."

* * *

"Are you stupid!?" Patria slapped Justin upside the head. "We already found the Keyhole and got the lock piece. We should get going."

The boy rubbed the spot where she hit him. "I have to settle this."

"Hold on now," Glacies got in between the two of them. "First: Patria, don't you ever hit my brother again! Second: Justin, we have what we came for. Can't you settle this some other way?"

"Master Glacies, if she refuses to follow the Code…"

"Forget that!" The Keyblade Master narrowed her eyes. "This is between you and Creon now. There has to be another way to deal with this."

The boy shook his head. "The tournament won't last that long and it'll settle it. We've spent longer in the last two worlds we went to! Please, let me do this!"

The oldest girl looked to Hercules. "What do you think about all of this?"

"Well, since Sora and the others are missing, my first instinct is for all of you to get going and find them. However, I do understand what Justin means. It might also keep him and Xally from fighting so much. It may be best to let them do it. I can shorten each round and make the tournament go faster for you. What about that?"

"Ok… we'll do it."

Ryô stepped forward. "But, why fight? I'm certain there's a peaceful, diplomatic solution to this problem without having to use the tournament. I mean we could…"

"Ry," Blaze pulled him back. "You may be a pacifist but, the rest of us aren't. Just chill on the diplomacy."

Glacies looked back at Hercules. "Ok, it's settled then…"

* * *

Patria sat in the stands with everyone except for Creon and Justin. Those two were the only ones in the tournament. She looked up and saw the same boy she saw Hades talking to earlier, sitting below her, to her left. He held his large hammer in his hands and cleaned it with a rag.

Patria saw small tubes running up the handle of the hammer, the red liquid inside swished above with every movement… for some reason, that liquid unsettled her.

The tournament began and, as Hercules said, he shortened each match to make it go faster; Justin and Creon both blew through their competitors. Phil taught the young gladiator well, just like with his father. They both made it to the final match, where their deal would come to a completion.

The two fought. Creon swung his sword but, Justin merely stood back, using the Force to block every attack the boy threw at him. Eventually, the gladiator knew he had to try something else. Phil left barrels around the arena to use as cover or weapons; each exploded after a certain number of hits. Creon hit the barrels towards Justin, making the boy either jump aside or use the Force to move them.

This left him open. Hitting three barrels, Creon ran at him sliding under the barrels as the boy tossed them away using the Force. Justin felt a foot hit his leg, causing him to stumble. The son of Hercules, grabbed him by his shirt, flipping him onto his back before pointing his sword at Justin's neck.

"THAT'S THE MATCH! CREONTIADES IS THE WINNER!"

The winner reached down to help Justin to his feet but, the other boy ignored it and stood. "I will keep to my word…"

"If you live long enough to have another argument…" The boy with the hammer leapt from the stands, swinging down with his hammer and landing a blow square on Justin.

"JUSTIN!"

Everyone else jumped in the arena, weapons at the ready. Machus strung and arrow to his bow, while Coon pulled a long spear from a nearby weapon's rack. "Who are you."

"I am Malachi…" he lifted the fallen Keybearer by his hair. "Hmph… weak. How did my superior, Xext, manage to be defeated by you?"

"You're with Xext!?"

Malachi dropped Justin and hefted his hammer. "Indeed… and I shall not fail like he did. Our mistress shall have her prize! It is a shame I am not allowed to kill you." His eyes went to the red liquid in his hammer. "I would've like to add your spilled blood to my collection."

"Blood!" Hikari gagged. "You're horrible!"

"You sick monster!"

The boy merely brought his hammer down, sending a shockwave that sent everyone flying back. "Now, don't make this too easy. I don't like being bored."

Creon helped Justin up as they boy became conscious. "Come on, Keybearer! We've got to do something!"

"I know, but what...?" Justin looked down at his Keyblades. "Creon… do what you did to me. Hit three barrels at him. I'll take care of the rest."

The gladiator nodded. The rest of the group fought Malachi off, however, his physical strength matched that of Hercules. They couldn't handle him for much longer.

"Heads up!" Creon hit the barrels, sending them flying towards the enemy. Malachi turned, bringing up his hammer to block them, when Justin levitated his Keyblades, sending them spinning under the barrels. They came up under Malachi's strike, knocking the boy in the chin.

The boy fell back as the others gathered around. "You may be strong but, you're not invincible!"

"There's no escape!"

Malachi smirked. "So you think…" A dark corridor enveloped him and he vanished.

"Well, crap…"

* * *

Justin and Creon shook hands. "You're a good fighter, Justin."

"You too, Creon." The boy's face fell as Xally went and gave the son of Hercules a hug but, he couldn't say anything now.

In a plume of smoke, Hades appeared. "See! What did I tell you? That plan was flawless."

"Oh, you," Justin turned away.

"Is that any way to treat the guy who gave you the wonderful idea to challenge Creonbuttes?"

Everyone stared at the Jedi Keybearer. "Hades gave you that idea!?"

"He did, and yes, it did work but, we nearly got killed by that Malachi guy." The boy admitted. "Did you know about him?"

Hades waved a hand. "Maybe a little but, still, the plan worked and you owe me. Now, I'll just take your soul for all eternity…"

"If you really wanted him to owe you, you would've stopped Malachi from attacking us!" Patria stepped forward. "Well guess what, sulfur brains, I heard your whole conversation with him. He said that his plan would eventually help you so, you left him alone to attack us."

Hercules stepped towards Hades. "Get out of here, before I throw you back down to the Underworld myself!"

"Aw come one, Herc, you wouldn't do that to your old pal."

"You allowed that madman in here and he hurt and could've killed my sons." The hero warned. "I'm not in a merciful mood right now."

"Fine… but, I will collect! Make no mistake!" He vanished back to the Underworld.

Justin looked down. "Looks like I messed up… again…"

"It's ok," Megara knelt down to him. "Most of us have fallen victim to his lies once so, we understand."

"Thanks…"

Brimstone pulled the lock piece out of his coat pocket. Well guys, I would call this a pretty successful day, wouldn't you?"

"Yep!"

"You know it."

* * *

**I literally googled Hercules and Megara's children for Machus, Coon, and Creon. **

**What do you guys think of a KH/Disney character ship? Should I keep Xally/Creon for the future or not?**

**Just saying, the Keyhole is in the exact same spot it was in during game 1.**

**Please review!**

* * *

**The gang goes under the sea and meets another of their parent's old friends. **

**This particular friend is have child troubles and it's their job to find and protect that child.**

**In… ****_Atlantica!_**

* * *

**_Malachi: _**_A companion of the mysterious Xext who wields a large hammer and has super-human strength._

**_Therimachus: _**_Eldest son of Hercules and Megara. He is stoic and level-headed, always taking his time when it comes to solving a problem. His primary weapon is a bow and arrows._

**_Deicoon: _**_Middle son of Hercules and Megara. He is goofy, always pulling pranks and cracking jokes at the worst possible moment. His primary weapon is a spear._

**_Creontiades: _**_Youngest son of Hercules and Megara. He is gentle and kind, always willing to lend a hand. He also has an eye for a pretty girl, specifically a certain Jedi Keybearer. His primary weapon is a sword._

* * *

**I'm going to make a note here that the devotions I put on these stories are not to offend anyone and I try to make sure everything I say is encouraging and not judgmental in any way.**

* * *

**Freedom**

By the time most of you read this, it will be July 4th, Independence Day, here in the US! This is the day we take to celebrate freedom.

However, there is also a freedom we can celebrate from day to day.

All humans are born in slavery to sin. There is no way, on our own, that we can be free of this burden. Only God and His power can free us from the hold of sin and Satan.

John 8:36 reads, "_So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed._" 2 Corinthians 3:17 also says, _"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirt of the Lord is, there is freedom."_

So, if you have been freed from sin, by the grace of God, don't forget to give him thanks for that freedom and for all the other freedoms he has given us here.


	12. Chapter 11: Atlantica

**Sorry this took so long. I had the worst writer's block…**

**I forgot to add at the bottom of the last chapter that Malachi would be voiced by Shemar Moore.**

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**The Little Mermaid © to Disney!**

**Sasuke © to Yamichaos27**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**All my OCs © to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Atlantica**

* * *

Xally sat at the controls, fiddling with a small pendant about her neck.

"Hey Xal, what's that?"

"Oh," the girl smiled, "Just something Creon gave me before we left…"

Yuyake smiled. "After we've got our parents back, you might need to go introduce them to your crush. I've learned from experience, keeping it from parents only makes things worse."

"Ok…" she suddenly straightened up.

"What's up?"

She grabbed the controls and turned the ship. "There's another lock piece this way."

Yuyake pressed the comm button. "We've found another piece, everyone up here."

* * *

Ryô sat alone thinking of what happened at Olympus; why did everyone turn to violence first. Most of the situations they got into could be solved with a simple, diplomatic solution. Even villains can be reasoned with. He'd lived his whole life by the basis that violence was not the answer and that it should only be the last resort however, everyone around him thought different and he only annoyed people with his talk of peace.

"You know, it's not you." He turned and saw Blaze standing there. "Brim and I understand that you don't like to fight."

"But you do… everyone wants to fight but me."

The girl sat down beside him. "You need to understand, not everyone can be reasoned with. If we meet Maleficent, you can't reason with her. Do you think you could've talked Xehanort down? No, he would've killed you first. It's not a bad thing that you like peaceful solutions and, sometimes, they work but, most of the people we meet, at least the bad ones, will kill you without a thought and you might just have to kill them first."

"I've heard this before…" Ry stood up. "But, I can't do it! I can't just fight all the time. I even have a problem fighting mindless monsters like Heartless."

"Ry, you've got to…"

_"We've found another piece, everyone up here."_

Blaze sighed. "We'll finish this later but, think about what I said, Ry. I don't want to see my best friend die because he refused to fight."

* * *

"Whoa!"

"I know where we are!"

Glacies giggled. "I did cast that spell for a reason, you know."

"Wow…" Brim grinned. "You two are naturals!"

Patria, with a purple top and a red shark tail, with blue tips, laughed. "Dad used to cast this spell sometimes so, if we ever came here, we would be familiar with these forms.

Her brother, whose beanie was now a seaweed cap and whose tail was exactly like his sisters, save the color was green with white tips. "We can show you how to swim here."

Glacies' tail was a light blue with white fins, around her waist draped a silver cloth that matched her top.

Blaze had a red orca tail with black on the inside however, instead of stopping at the waist, hers went up her body and covered her chest as well. The other one with an orca tail, save this one was black with orange inside, was Brimstone. He also wore an orange kelp top draped over his shoulders.

Ryo, with his teal and green fish tail, wore two crossing seaweed straps across his chest.

Yuyake's tail was that of an orange eel with black accents. Across his chest, he wore two black straps that connected to two orange shoulder pads.

Both Xally and Justin had dolphin tails. Xally's was silver with purple tips to match her purple and silver top. Justin had a brown one with red tips and was bare-chested.

Lastly, Hikari had a white top with two, yellow, crossing kelp straps. Her seahorse tail was light blue on the front and pink on the back.

The youngest girl giggled. "I've got a seahorse tail! I love seahorses!"

Patria smiled. Her cousin sure could be cute some times. "Why don't we check this place out, unless you guys wanna goof and waste time some more."

"Ok, fine…" The group began swimming, all but Patria and Pith, having some trouble at first.

Pith looked back at the others. "You guys doing ok?"

"Fine…"

"Hey! Why aren't you searching!?" They all saw a crab and an older merman coming their way.

"Searching?"

The merman narrowed his eyes. "MY granddaughter is still missing; there is no time to be floating around!"

The children looked confused. "What?"

"Did you not hear me?" the merman raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we just got into town, per-say, and have no idea what's going on."

The crab was about to speak when a mermaid swam up. "Daddy, I'm worried. There's been no sign of her at all…! Who are they?"

"Are you Ariel?" Pith asked. When she nodded, he grinned. "My name's Pith; my father is Sora."

That was all they needed to hear. As soon as the introductions finished, the merman, King Triton sighed. "Ariel's daughter, Melody, ran away. We're trying to find her before Ursula's sister, Morgana does."

"We'll help!"

Ariel smiled. "That would be wonderful. Thank you so much."

"We'll split up and help search."

* * *

Glacies followed Pith and Yuyake as they swam around, searching for any sign of Melody. Suddenly, the raven-haired boy halted. "Heartless alert!"

"Where?"

"Three o'clock!" Sure enough, a hoard of Diver Heartless swam around in a group.

"Hold on…" Glacies held back the two boys before they charged in. "Look, they're not doing anything. What could they be waiting for…?"

"Alright you'se Heartless. We've gotta make sure nobody holds up little Melody, either that or old Morgana's gonna have a fit."

Pith gave a light chuckle. "Well, looks like we've found ourselves an arch-enemy."

"Huh?"

"There's only one person who sounds like that." The young twin smirked. "It's Pete."

Glacies suddenly gasped. "P-Pete…"

"Hey, is something wrong, Glace?"

The girl shook her head. "N-no! Well, what should we do?"

"I say we take him out," Yuyake summoned both his Keyblades. "He's a weakling anyways."

"No…" Glacies held up a hand. "You heard him. He mentioned Melody. You boys should follow him and see if he leads you to her."

"What about you?" They'd never seen her act like this before.

"I'll go back and tell the others." With that, she swam off. The two left glanced at each other and shrugged. Glacies swam around a corner and sunk down on a rock. "Oh… why did he have to be here…?" Taking a deep breath, the young woman pushed off the rock and went back towards the palace.

* * *

"So Pete's here and working with Morgana." Patria smirked. "Good, I needed a new punching bag."

Blaze clapped her hands. "I've always wanted to roast his butt!"

"We're underwater so you'll have to wait for another time."

"I just drag him to the surface and roast him there," the pyro grinned.

Glacies sighed. "Let's just tell Ariel and King Triton…" Everyone noticed her nervousness.

Following her, they swam into the palace. "King Triton! We've got news!"

"Huh?" Ariel and her father looked up on their way to the throne room. "What is it?"

"We found someone working with Morgana! It's a guy named Pete; he's pretty wimpy but, he commands the Heartless and that's the only way he's threatening. We heard him say that he was supposed to make sure that no one gets in Melody's way."

Ariel gasped. "Do you mean it?"

"Yes," Glacies nodded, "Pith and Yuyake are following him now. Hopefully, he'll lead them straight to Melody."

"Good…" the mermaid looked up as they entered the throne room. "Daddy! The trident!" the king's magic trident was gone.

"Bu-but! No one can remove the trident! No one but you and your descendants."

Hikari looked around and noticed a golden shell necklace on the ground. "What's this…?" Picking it up, she held it out. "Mrs. Ariel, do you know what this is?"

"That's Melody's! But, what's it doing here?"

"You don't think she took the trident…" Xally gasped.

Justin crossed his arms. "Why would she? There would be no logic to that."

"Morgana…" King Triton growled, "If she gets her hands on my trident… Double the search parties! I want every creature in the ocean on patrol!"

As some of the other sea creatures swam off with the king, Brimstone, Ryô, Xally, and Hikari following him. "Hey, who are they?" Justin pointed up at two stingrays swimming overhead.

"I know those two," Ariel motioned for them to follow. She, her fish friend Flounder, Glacies, Justin, Blaze, and Patria swam through the sea after the stingrays.

* * *

"I bet he's even uglier in this world!"

"You know, I think he has some of those octopus tentacles like they said Ursula had."

Pith and Yuyake laughed. "By the way, have you ever seen Pete before?"

"Nope," The raven-haired boy shook his head. "Kari said you guys met him in Disney Town. So is he as stupid as my dad said?"

"Oh yea… He's pretty dumb. If we need to take him down, we won't have to try hard." Pith admitted.

"So just the Divers and him… that's no problem…" Yuyake agreed.

"You guys are so mean!"

Both boys turned and saw a small, female cat with octopus tentacles. "Huh?" Pith narrowed his eyes. "Pistol, what are you doing here?"

Pete's daughter crossed her arms. "You're saying such mean things about my Daddy! Oh Daddy! Looks like someone was following you!"

Coming around a corner, Pete crossed his arms. Both boys laughed; just as they thought, he had no shirt and his legs were octopus tentacles, like his daughter's. And, yes, he was ugly. "What's so funny?"

"Oh my gosh! You look so stupid like that!"

The fat cat growled. "Why you'se brats!"

"Well," Pith wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes. "Now, back to business… Where is Melody? We know you're trying to keep people from finding her. Now, spill it! Where the heck is she?"

"Hmph! Like we're gonna tell you."

Yuyake summoned both of his Keyblades. "Well then, we'll just make you talk. Well, not you twerp." The boy used an aero spell to push Pete's daughter against a wall and cast a protection spell to keep her in place. "We'll make sure you get home after we beat the crud out of your dad."

"JERKS!"

The two Keyblade wielders charged the fat cat. "Uh… Heartless! Take them out!"

The Divers charged with the two boys readying their weapons.

* * *

Patria peaked around a piece of ice. "They just went towards a cave."

"Uh, why did they have to pick a hideout in someplace so cold?" Blaze shivered. "I wish I wasn't underwater; I want to heat up."

"Then let's surface." Ariel led them up to the surface. They came up and watched as the two stingrays swam into an icy cave. "There it is…" The woman turned to Flounder. "Swim back as fast as you can and tell my father. We'll try and find Melody.

The fish looked nervous. "Oh, but if that old sea witch is in there, and then there's that mean little shark and then those manta rays come, a-and then she takes those- those creepy tentacles so suction cups stick to your face, and, and…"

"We get it!" Blaze sighed.

"Uh, uh-uh, no way you're going in there!" Flounder still insisted.

"Flounder, if you don't go back, who's gonna tell King Triton where Morgana's lair is?"

"Say, what's all the whisperin' about? Is Melody around here?" A seagull flew over to them. "Did you find her yet? If she's…"

Ariel grabbed him. "Scuttle! Get down and be quiet… wait a minute. Scuttle can get help." Flounder gave his friend a skeptical look but, Ariel ignored it. "Scuttle, I need you to pay very close attention."

"We're doomed…"

* * *

Justin looked at the adult mermaid. "That bird seemed very… stupid… do you think we can trust him to get the job done?"

"I'm sure Scuttle won't let us down."

Glacies grabbed Patria's arm. "Tria, no matter what happens, don't go straight for the violent approach. Make sure Morgana doesn't try anything and let Ariel talk to Melody."

"Oh… fine… but you sound like that pacifist, Ryô." The angry girl rolled her eyes. "I still can't believe he got in my way last night!"

"You were about to punch your brother out. I say he did well."

Patria growled. "No, no, you guys are always trying to keep me from fighting and I get that but, he went on about how fighting is unnecessary. How we should always try and talk before acting and go for a diplomatic approach. Does he really think that Xext and his crew, or the person who has our parents, can be reasoned with. We have to fight them. People like that don't see reason and won't. He just doesn't understand that."

Glacies had to admit, Ryô was going a bit overboard with the diplomacy as of late. Also, she was not at all surprised that he and Patria didn't get along; the two were polar opposites. "We'll discuss this later…"

They could hear voices; a woman spoke. "Now, if you'll just hand over the…" A woman with octopus tentacles instead of legs, a tiny fish, and a young black-haired mermaid, holding the trident, came into view.

"MELODY DON'T!"

"Mom!"

Glacies came up, holding up a hand. "Don't listen to Morgana!"

However, both mother and daughter paused, staring at one another. "Y-you're a mermaid?"

"Ariel!" Morgana grinned. "How nice of you to come. Oh look, and you brought Flopper and some brats with you."

"The name's Flounder!" The fish glared. Morgana's fish friend got in his face and growled. "'Grr' yourself, pipsqueak."

The other fish only growled more. "Get that thing and hit me! One bite, and he's shrimp toast!"

"Sweetheart, hand me my trident now." The witch cooed at Melody.

Patria summoned her Keyblade. "Keep your ugly tentacles away from the trident!"

The young mermaid ignored all around her, save her own mother. "All this time, and you never told me…"

"Kept the most important secret in her whole life from her own daughter."

"Please," Ariel held out a hand. "Give me the trident, Melody."

"No. Hand it to me." The witch smirked. "It's for your own good."

"SHE'S LYING!"

Morgana only put on a kind façade towards the girl. "I've given you what you've always wanted. She's the one who lied to you for all these years."

"Your mom was only trying to protect you!"

"By fencing me in!" The girl yelled at Justin. "She knew how much I loved the sea! Mom, why did you keep the truth from me!?"

The older mermaid grabbed her daughter's shoulders. "Melody, listen to me. If there was one thing in my life that I could do over, I…"

"Too late, Mom." Ariel's daughter went to hand the trident to Morgana.

"Aw heck no!" Patria threw her Keyblade, but a Heartless appeared and took the blow.

"MELODY NO!"

The moment Morgana grasped the trident, the water crackled with green energy. "ALL THE POWER OF THE SEVEN SEAS AT MY COMMAND!" A large group of Heartless appeared around her as the witch wrapped her tentacles around Ariel.

"MOM!"

"ARIEL!"

The Keybearers went to move, but the sea witch held the trident towards Ariel, keeping them from acting. Morgana grinned. "Your mommy was only trying to protect you from moi! What she did, she did out of love." Patria only tightened her grip on her sword. Man, how she wanted to wipe that smirk off Morgana's face. Normally, hostage or no hostage, Patria would've attacked but, the others would be all over her if she did. The anger only grew as the witch smiled. "Little Melody's been a very naughty girl, stealing from her own grandfather."

"M-my grandfather?"

"King Triton, ruler of Atlantica, commander in chief of all the oceans!" the sea witch narrowed her eyes. "Or at least he was, until a certain little thief came along."

"You tricked me!"

Justin sighed. "Ya think…"

The witch rolled her eyes at the young mermaid. "You've got no one to blame but yourself. Tell me, Melody. Is being a mermaid everything you dreamed? Was it worth it?"

A wave of darkness knocked Melody and the Keybearers into an ice cave before sealing it up. She cast a different spell on the Keyblade wielders. "Oh, and by the way, your time as a mermaid has just about expired. And you other brats shouldn't get too comfortable with those fins. Catch you later. I've got bigger fish to fry!"

Patria banged on the wall with her blade. "Break you stupid wall!"

"Come on!" Glacies joined her as the Jedi Keybearer attempted to use the force to shatter the wall. Blaze tried to create some fire magic to melt the ice, but the water prevented her. Melody hit the wall with her fists and Flounder slammed against it. "We've gotta keep trying!"

"It's no use! It's too thick!" Ariel's daughter slumped up against the wall. "Oh, Flounder… I've ruined everything. I don't even know any of you and now you're dragged into this mess…"

Patria sure wanted agree with the girl out loud, but she knew Glacies would get on her case. So she sighed. "Yea… a fine mess…"

* * *

Pete grabbed his daughter's hand and dragged her through a dark corridor. "I won't forget this!"

"And I won't forget how much fun it was kicking his butt!" Yuyake grinned.

"HEY GUYS!" Brimstone and the others swam up with the king. "Blaze and the others found Melody! Let's go!"

* * *

Coming up to the ice cave, they could see Prince Eric approaching on his ship. The ice cave erupted as pinnacles of ice shot skyward, turning the entire area into forest of icy spires. The tallest spire shot heavenward with Morgana, still holding Ariel captive.

"ALL HAIL QUEEN MORGANA!"

The seagull, Scuttle, led Prince Eric's ship towards Morgana's lair. "The cavalry is comin'!"

"Ariel!"

The witch smiled. "Prince Eric! Come to join the party? We're having a blast!" She fired a bolt of green magic from the end of the trident and blew his ship to pieces. Prince Eric flew through the air only for Xally to catch him with the force. Morgana laughed. "Oh, how dear Ursula would have adored this."

"MORGANA!" King Triton rose up, his face red with anger. "Release my daughter! Surrender my granddaughter and I shall spare you."

"Ooh! What you gonna do? Throw the crab at me?"

Morgana's little fish friend grinned evilly. "Face it, Triton. You're all washed up!"

"Why don't you shut up!?" Brimstone summoned a flame on the tip of his finger. "Eat this!" Chasing after the fish, the pyro launched Fire spell after Fire spell at the fish.

"Now look at me. I'm bait!"

The boy paused as a blast from the trident hit the fish. He suddenly flew back as, what had been the small fish, knocked him aside. Pith pulled Brimstone away. "Oh crud! He's a shark!"

"Where's Melody?" Eric stood to his feet "What have you done with her?"

"Oh, you want to join your daughter? Well I think that can be arranged." Two things came up from under the ice and dragged the prince down.

"ERIC!" Ariel shoved her way out of Morgana's tentacles and leapt into the water with Ryô following.

Pith and Brimstone glared at the witch but, the young twin noticed a penguin and a walrus swimming into the ice cave. "Hey, Brim, follow me…"

"Hold on!"

"Hey," the younger boy scowled. "Your sister's in there too. Though both your sister and mine have anger problems, we can't just leave them in there." Nodding in agreement, the pyro dove under the water with the twin following.

As they came inside, they both heard screaming as the giant shark from earlier chased the walrus and penguin around the cave. "We better help them!" Summoning their Keyblades, the two swam towards the shark.

* * *

Patria continued to bang against the wall that trapped them. "There is no frikin' way I'm dying in here!"

"Don't think like that, Tria." Glacies cast an Aero spell against the wall. "We're going to get out!" Suddenly, Melody screamed in pain. "Melody!"

The young mermaid clutched at her body. "Wha-what's happening!?" A swirl of magic surrounded her fins and they separated into two legs. "Oh no…" Melody clutched at her throat as water entered her mouth.

"No!" Glacies cast another Aero spell around the girl which Justin held in place with the force. Suddenly, Patria screamed as magic enveloped her, turning her back into her human form. Justin expended the air bubble to encompass her as well. In moments, Blaze, Glacies, and Justin were all humans again, as well, standing in a bubble of air with barely enough air to last them five minutes.

Blaze looked up and saw a dark shape speeding towards them from the other side of the wall. "Everyone, take a deep breath!" A humongous shark burst through the wall and popped their bubble of air. It happened so fast, Melody never got a chance to take in air.

A walrus swam up to the shark as all its teeth fell out, revealing a penguin in its mouth. Said penguin rubbed his flippers together. "Another plan perfectly executed."

"Melody!" Flounder's cry drew the attention of the sea creatures. They got under the girl and pushed her towards the surface.

"Sis!" Pith swam into the cave grabbing the arms of his twin and of Glacies while Brim grabbed his sister and Justin's arms. They all swam to the surface. As they came up, they could see Morgana holding the trident, Ariel holding her husband's still body, and the rest of their group nearby, all but Ryô had weapons drawn.

"Fools! I have the trident now!" Morgana cackled. "And all the creatures of the sea are in my power! I'm the queen of the sea and you will bow down before me!" The trident glowed green as she pointed it at every sea creature, making them bow. Even the Keybearers who were still in their Atlantican forms were forced to bow down. Even King Triton could not resist the power of the trident.

"What can we do?" Melody stood up and gasped.

Patria smirked. "We're the only ones with legs, so let's use 'em!"

"Yes! Blaze, you get down below where Morgana is and try to melt that spire; Justin go with her to make sure that she doesn't get hurt. Patria, you me and Melody will stop Morgana. Melody, stay behind us; we'll handle the fighting."

The pyro and Jedi ran through the maze of ice towards the large center pillar. "This thing is so huge! It'll take me an hour to melt through it… unless… I could use my full power but…"

"But what…?"

"If I go full power," she admitted. "I might not be able to power down. I could lose control and I don't know what I'll do."

Justin stood speechless. He'd seen the girl go a little crazy in the training room but, he had no idea she might do that. "I can't stop you. It's your choice; I might be able to help so don't go full power. I'll cut away at the ice."

"Ok." Blaze pressed her hands against the ice and they lit up with flames and her hair turned to fire. As her eyes shot open, full of green flame, she fired am immense burst of fire into the column. Justin summoned his duel Keyblades and flung them at the ice, using the force.

* * *

Patria climbed forward, getting closer to the witch; Glacies stood behind, helping Melody. "I'm gonna take the first shot. You guys can catch up."

"Patria! Wait!"

The older twin ignored the Keyblade Master, leaping into action. Morgana turned just in time to see the girl. "Thought you could sneak up on me, huh? Well, think again!" A green bolt of magic struck Patria sending her flying. Glacies jumped forward, her Keyblade clashing with the trident. "Oh! You're a tough one. All grown up and so very pretty… but also so very scared…" The trident glowed and encased Glacies in a green crystal which Morgana sent hurtling to the ground.

Justin looked up just in time to see his adopted older sister falling down towards him. He held up his hand and caught her with the force. "How are we coming on that ice, Blaze?"

"We're comin'… give me two minutes."

"Um…" the boy looked up to see Melody grappling with Morgan for the trident. "We do not have two minutes!"

The female pyro flared up, unleashing even more flames into the pillar of ice. "Don't lose control… don't lose control…" The column tilted and began to fall.

Melody threw the trident to King Triton just before the pillar fell, and the girl toppled off the edge with a scream. Luckily, the same walrus and penguin from the cave caught her. The sea king caught the trident and pointed it at the sea witch who balanced on some of the smaller ice pillars. "Never again will you or yours threaten my family! There will be no escape for you EVER!"

"NOO!" Ice formed around the witch and she fell down into the sea below.

* * *

Ryô held out his Keyblade and withdrew the lock piece from the keyhole. He was very happy that everything worked out. Ariel was not keeping her daughter from the sea anymore, they stopped Morgana, and they had the lock piece.

He sighed. He hated that they had to use violence. Why did King Triton have to do that to Morgana? There was a more humane way to deal with her. There is a justice system and it should be used. Why was it, that no one even tried the right and peaceful solution!? Everyone resorted to violence; he hated it!

Looking down at his Keyblade, a look of distain crossed his features. This was a weapon, an instrument for violence. With a moan of angst, the boy threw the sword away, only for it to reappear in his hand a moment later.

He would have to make the others see it his way; that violence was wrong and the peaceful solution was the real way to do things.

* * *

Back on the Gummi ship, Glacies looked up at the celling of her room. "I almost gave it all away… they almost found out…" She wrapped her arms about herself and sighed. "I-I'm not fit to be a Keyblade Master. An-and no one can ever know why…"

She jumped in surprise as Pith's voice came over the intercom. _"Guys! We just got a call from Radiant Garden! They found a lock piece! We're headed back there now!_"

"Good." The Keyblade Master smiled. "I can see Ignis!"

* * *

"GLACE!" The toddler burst into the gummi hanger and tackled his sister's legs.

The girl picked up her little brother and hugged him. "Hey there! Have you been good?"

"He's been wonderful." Sasuke came in and smiled. "Nothing but a great help and a great kid."

"How has your journey been so far?" Ansem the Wise smiled at the children.

Patria yawned. "It's been good, but nothing much has happened yet."

"Nothing much! Sis, we've only had two assassins try to kill us!"

"ASSASSINS?"

Hikari nodded. "Some dude named Xext and a psychopath named Malachi."

"Well, at least you're all safe." Ansem sighed. He'd been afraid of them getting in too deep.

Yuyake smiled. "And, I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Yuyake, son of Roxas and Xion."

"It is a pleasure to see you again. Last time I saw you, you were three years old."

"Yea…" the raven-haired boy nodded. "So, what's this about a lock piece?"

Sasuke nodded. "Merlin was looking through his collection of magical doors… yes he has a collection… and there was one that led to an alternate universe. He discovered that one of the lock pieces was left in that world."

"An alternate universe!" Brimstone gaped. "That sounds awesome!"

"Well, I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about it." The blue-clad wizard appeared in a puff of smoke.

Blaze placed a hand on her hip. "Let's go right now. After we finish in there, we can take a little time to rest here before we get back out into the worlds."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Ansem sighed. "Then we'll see you when you get back."

With a wave of Merlin's hand a strangely moldy, disgusting-looking door appeared. "Well, in you go…"

Glacies took a deep breath, at least 'he' wouldn't be there. It was an alternate universe after all. The group passed through the door and the last thing Glacies heard as she went through was Sasuke's voice. "Ignis! Wait!"

* * *

**They'll stick around Radiant Garden after this next world.**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Next time…**

**The group meets an unlikely duo and helps them rescue a princess in an adventure that is more like a funky fairytale. **

**In… Duloc**

* * *

**Strong and Courageous **

Sometimes in life we go through things that seem impossible and we feel like we're alone in the fight. The fear during such times can feel overwhelming and we feel like giving up.

However, there is no need to fear, for, no matter where you are or what you're going through, God is with you.

In the Old Testament, in the book of Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, Moses, died and his successor Joshua took up the mantel. God told them to go into the promise land and take it, for God had promised the land to them. In Exodus, you find out that the promise land was full of people who were, literally, giants.

The people feared to go into that land. For it seemed to be impossible.

God spoke to Joshua and said in Joshua 1:9 _"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."_

The same goes for us. God is calling us to be strong and courageous. He is with us no matter where we go.


	13. Chapter 12: Duloc

**Sorry about the wait. I've had my plate full lately. **

**I hope you guys like this chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix.**

**My OCs (c) to me.**

**Sasuke (c) to Yamichaos27.**

**Shrek (c) to Dreamworks.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Duloc**

* * *

The group emerged from the doorway which vanished behind them. Glacies immediately turned around. "Ignis Riku Petra!"

The others all looked and, indeed, there stood the toddler. "Hi 'der sis…"

"Oh great! Now we have to babysit!" Patria rolled her eyes. "Where's that stupid door? We're sending that squirt back."

"That door won't appear again until you retrieve the lock piece."

"Sasuke!?"

The man sighed. "Yea, I'm here too. I was trying to catch that little trouble-maker." He looked across the group of children. "It looks like Ignis and I are stuck here."

"Let's find somewhere where short-stuff can stay" Brimstone grunted. "If this is an alternate universe, there should be someone we know around here. All we have to do is find them and drop the kid off."

Sasuke shook his head. "That's not a good idea. They may be the same person in name, or even in looks but, that does not mean they're the same on the inside. A friendly person in our world, may be an enemy here. Don't worry, I'll watch after Ignis; you kids can do all the hard work. It's your quest after all."

"Fine…"

"Sis! Look! A cas'le!" The little boy pointed to a large castle.

Blaze cocked an eyebrow. "That castle is a little much, don't you think?"

"Yep."

Glacies motioned to the others. "Let's go. That castle is probably our best bet."

They all walked through the gates, into the castle. Hikari looked around. "Where is everyone? It's so quiet."

"Check the information booth…" Ryô pointed to a booth which was marked 'information'.

"That's just tacky."

Ignis tottered forward and pulled a lever on the side of the booth. Two doors opened to show a bunch of little wooden people. They began bobbing up and down and singing:

"_Welcome to Dulock such a perfect town_

_Here we have some rules_

_Let us lay them down_

_Don't make waves, stand in line_

_And we'll get along fine_

_Duloc is a perfect place_

_Please keep off of the grass_

_Shine your shoes, wipe your… face_

_Duloc is, Dulock is_

_Duloc is a perfect place._" Suddenly a camera snapped a picture of the confused faces of the group.

Everyone stared in confusion at the booth, save for Ignis, who laughed and clapped his hands. "P'ay it again! P'ay it again!" the toddler reached for the lever but, Sasuke picked him up before he could pull it.

"Oh no… I could not bear hearing that song again."

"Check it out," Patria pointed to a donkey and a large green man. "What do you think they're up to?"

The girl followed with the others behind her. As they left the gates, they heard the donkey a voice say. "Let me get this straight. You're gonna go fight a dragon and rescue a princess just so Farquaad will give you back a swamp which you only don't have because he filled it full of freaks in the first place. Is that about right?"

"You know," the green man said. "Maybe there's a good reason donkeys shouldn't talk."

"I don't get it. Why don't you just pull some of that ogre stuff on him? Throttle him, lay siege to his fortress, grind his bones to make your bread, the whole ogre trip." The donkey huffed.

Ignis dashed forward, "The donkey talks!"

Both the ogre and donkey turned around. "And what do all of you want?"

"Just curious," Xally smiled. "What's all this about a princess and dragon?"

The ogre narrowed his eyes. "I don't have to tell you anything… and why aren't all of you running and screaming in terror?"

"Why would we?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I'm a big, stupid, ugly, ogre!" He yelled. "You know, grab your torch and pitchfork!"

Patria rolled her eyes. "Oh please. We've seen weirder; an ogre is nothing, and neither is a talking donkey. Now, I also want to know, what's all this princess and dragon business?"

"Well you see," the donkey sauntered towards her, "Ol' Shrek here lives in this swamp where Lord Farquaad dumped all these fairytale creatures. So Shrek wants to get his swamp back, so Farquaad said if Shrek goes and gets this Princess Fiona out of a dragon-guarded castle, surrounded by lava, he'll give him back his swamp. I'm his friend and I'm here to help out."

Shrek rolled his eyes. "Donkey, I didn't want you to tell them my life story!"

Brimstone crossed his arms. "I agree with Donkey on something. Why didn't you go all gung-ho ogre on the Farquaad guy?"

"Oh, I know what. Maybe I could have decapitated an entire village and put their heads on a pike, gotten a knife, cut open their spleen and drink their fluids. Does that sound good to you?"

"Hey, watch it." Sasuke glared. "We do have a three-year-old right here. He does not need to hear any of that. Now, we'd be willing to assist you in rescuing this princess but, I would rather you keep the gruesome and gory talk to a zero around the kid here."

"Fine!"

Following Shrek and Donkey, Justin came up to the ogre. "Are you eating an onion?"

"Yes…"

"Hey Shrek," Blaze came forward too. "Did you really mean what you said about the heads on pikes thing? 'Cause, that didn't sound good at all."

"For your information, there's a lot more to ogres than people think." Shrek sighed.

Ignis, holding his sister's hand, cocked his head. "Really?"

"Yes," the green man held out his onion. "You see, um, ogres are like onions."

"You mean, they stink." Patria smirked.

"Yes… NO!"

Pith tapped his chin. "They make you cry?"

"No!"

"You leave them in the sun, they get all brown, and start sproutin' little white hairs." Offered Donkey, making all but Shrek chuckle.

"NO! Layers!" Shrek huffed. "Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers." He stormed forward.

Donkey followed after him, rolling his eyes. "Oh, you both have layers…oh… You know, not everybody likes onions."

"Sis! Didn' my birt'day cake have layers? So den you like cake! Eve'ybody loves cake!"

"I don't care… what everyone likes." the ogre glared down at the toddler. "Ogres are not like cakes."

Donkey cocked his head before a toothy grin appeared on his face. "You know what else everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, 'Let's get some parfait,' and they say, 'Hel…" His eyes drifted towards little Ignis before he coughed and started again. "'Heck no, I don't like no parfait'? Parfaits are delicious."

"No! You dense, irritating, miniature best of burden! Ogres are like onions! End of story! Bye-bye. See ya later!"

"Parfaits may be the most delicious thing on the whole darn planet." Said 'beast of burden' continued.

Patria smirked. "Hey Donkey, guess what… I don't like parfaits."

As the animal stared at her, Shrek chuckled. "I like this one…"

* * *

It took them over a day to reach the volcano where the dragon's keep lay. As they came up to the mountain, Donkey sniffed and cringed. "Ohh! Shrek! Did you do that? You gotta warn somebody before you just crack one off. My mouth was open and everything."

"Believe me, Donkey, if it was me, you'd be dead. It's brimstone. We must be getting close."

"And by brimstone, he means the rock, not me!" Brim held up a hand.

"Yea, right, brimstone. Don't be talking like it's the brimstone. I know what I smell." The animal rolled his eyes. "It wasn't no brimstone. It wasn't the kid and it didn't come off no stone neither."

Sasuke hefted Ignis onto his back as they climbed up the side of the volcano. In the center of the crater lay an island of rock with a castle atop it; a small rope bridge spanned the gap, over a river of lava. "Glacies," the swordsman caught the girl's attention. "I'm going to stay out here with Ignis. I don't think you'd want him near a fire-breathing dragon. Am I right?"

"Yes, please watch over him." She turned; Donkey and Shrek were already halfway across the bridge.

Hikari clung to Pith as they, carefully crossed the bridge. Blaze strode ahead of them, swinging her arms nonchalantly. "You're so calm, Blaze. How do you do that? Oh yea, fire doesn't affect you; if you fall, you have nothing to worry about."

"I may be fireproof," the pyro shrugged. "But, I'm not lava-proof. I'm just composed."

"I think this is the first time in my life I've ever seen you composed, sis."

Blaze stopped, turning to glare at her older brother. "I wouldn't make me mad if I was you. I'm liable to get angry and possibly set this bridge on fire."

Everyone, including Shrek and Donkey froze at these words. "You wouldn't do that, w-would you?"

"Well, as long as my brother doesn't make me mad I won't."

Yuyake turned to the other pyro and yelled. "Brim! Don't say a word until we're off this bridge!" They all hurried the rest of the way across the bridge, eager to be off of the rickety thing.

"So where is this fire-breathing pain-in-the-neck anyway?" the animal huffed.

"Inside, waiting for us to rescue her."

"Shrek," Justin closed his eyes. "He was talking about the dragon…"

The group entered the ruined castle. "Are any of you afraid…?"

"No…"

"Not really."

"But…"

"Shhh!"

Donkey shuddered as he noticed a skeleton. "Oh, good. Me neither. 'Cause there's nothin' wrong with bein' afraid. Fear's a sensible response to an unfamiliar situation. Unfamiliar situation, I might add. With a dragon that breathes fire and eats knights and breathes fire, it sure doesn't mean you're a coward if you're a little scared. I sure as heck ain't no coward. I know that."

"Donkey, two things, ok?" Patria sighed. "Shut… up. Now go over there and see if you can find any stairs. No, forget that. Shrek, why don't you find the princess and we'll handle the dragon and make sure that Donkey stays out of trouble."

The ogre nodded and put a helmet on his head that covered his face. "Sounds good. Now don't get roasted alive." With that, he walked away.

Patria grinned and took off to the group's right. "And where does she think she's going?"

"To find the dragon… of course."

The group followed the red-head until she disappeared around a corner. "Patria! Where are you going!?" Her brother ran after her but paused the moment he came around the corner, as did the others; Donkey just took one look and fled. The girl stood beside the forelegs of a large, red dragon.

"What the heck are you doing…?" Yuyake hissed.

"Just saying hi to my new friend…" she leaned back and looked up before continuing. "Miss. Dragon. Oh, don't worry, we're not like those other knights that have come here. She doesn't know what to make of us… yet." A sinister smirk spread across her face as her Keyblade appeared in her hand.

Glacies held up her hands. "Patria… don't do what I think you're going to do…"

"Do what… this…" With one swift motion, the point of her Keyblade drove into the dragon's right foreleg. The dragon roared in anger and anguish.

"RUN FOR IT!" Everyone took off down the corridor with the beast charging after them. "Patria! Are you trying to get us KILLED!?"

Sora's daughter grinned. "Aw come on! Don't you like the adventure and excitement!?"

"NOT IF IT GETS US KILLED!" Pith growled at his twin. The girl only responded by grabbing his hand and dragging him behind a pillar. The others followed her example and jumped behind pillars just as the dragon let out a blast of flame from her mouth. "And what exactly was your plan, sis!? Care to share?"

"I just had to get her to breathe fire; now all we need is for Blaze to take her out."

"Me!?" The female pyro glared, before it dawned on her. "Of course!"

She moved to step out, but her brother grabbed her arm. "Blaze! You know that'll require full use of your powers. If you do that, it could…"

"I know, but I can handle it." Blaze waited until the fire stopped before stepping out into the middle of the corridor. The dragon cocked her head, obviously, she wasn't expecting one of them to come out into the open. The girl held out a finger and gestured for the dragon to 'bring it on'.

The dragon took this as a sign of mockery and blew a huge burst of flame at the girl. Blaze allowed the flames to engulf her but, instead of blowing past her, the fire swirled around the girl. The monster stopped her burst of fire and stared, confused at what was happening. The swirling flames parted to reveal Blaze, hair like fire and eyes alight.

"Oh no…" her brother gasped.

The female pyro held out a hand, sharply, and all the fire around her shot out towards the dragon. The fire blasted the creature back; the beast recovered her footing and decided that the group was too much trouble. She lumbered off down another corridor.

The fire, instead of dissipating, flew back around and surrounded Blaze once more. "Oh no… it's happened!" Brimstone ran out from behind the pillar. "SIS!" The girl showed no sign that she even recognized her own brother.

"What the heck is going on Brim?"

"She's lost control of her powers! It happens when her powers are used too strongly." The older pyro glared. "This wouldn't have happened if SOMEONE hadn't provoked the dragon!"

"I didn't know this would happen!" Patria argued. "A certain SOMEONE never mentioned to any of us that his sister could go NUCLEAR!"

"If you'd known, would it have mattered!? You don't care about anyone's safety! All you care about is filling your daily adrenaline quota!"

"That's what you think!" the older twin growled. "I wouldn't have messed with that dragon if I didn't know we could beat it! I had no idea this would happen!"

Glacies stepped in. "We can argue more about this later. Right now, we need to help Blaze. Brim, how do we calm your sister down?"

"The fastest way to get her back is to knock her out, but if we mess up she'll just get angry and try to kill us."

Yuyake glared at the other boy. "You know, I have to agree with Patria on one thing. We all had the right to know we were traveling around with a walking bomb."

"We'll talk about this later! Everyone, spread out and find an opening. We have to find a way to knock her out."

Ryô approached his childhood friend, hands held out calmly before him. "Blaze, it's me… Ry. Please, calm down. We're your friends and I know you'd never hurt us. Please, calm down." The girl only flicked her hand towards him, unleashing a wave of fire at her old friend.

The pyrokenetic girl simply blasted fire at everyone around her. "We haven't done anything yet! Why is she attacking!?"

"It's not Blaze. Her powers are in control now; they know we want to stop them, so they're trying to make sure we don't. To them, we're a threat."

Yuyake watched as the flames danced about them. He moved inside the fire, jumping around to avoid getting burned. He reacted swiftly; doing parkor since he was six, really helped him in combat. The raven-haired boy summoned Perfect Relief as he dove through a break in the wall of of fire. As the girl was distracted by the others, Yuyake slammed the handle of his Keyblade on the back of her head.

Blaze fell to the ground, unconscious.

Her brother ran to the girl's side and sighed in relief. "She's just fine…" Everyone froze as they heard the roar of the dragon and the screams of Shrek, Donkey, and a woman. "Yuyake, can you carry her? We might need another fire-wielder against that dragon."

They all took off, Yuyake carrying the red-haired girl on his shoulders. They soon spotted the ogre, carrying Donkey and a auburn-haired woman in a green dress. "There you are!? I thought you were going to handle the dragon!"

"Well we did until one of our people exploded!"

Shrek noticed Blaze before spotting the dragon behind them. "RUN!"

"It wants to kill us!"

"Actually," Donkey interrupted, "It wants to mate with me."

"TMI!" As they crossed the bridge to escape the castle, Pith turned to the only standing pyro. "Brim! Burn the bridge behind us!"

The oldest boy ran his hands along the ropes and they instantly lit up. "Move it folks, or you're gonna be in lava soup!" All of them hurried to the other side and over the volcanic ridge. As they slid down the outer volcanic ridge, they could see Sasuke and Ignis.

The man came running up, holding the toddler. "Is everyone alright?"

"Blaze is down but not out."

"What happened?" He looked around at the others.

"Why don't you ask your goddaughter…"

"Or you could ask Blaze's secret-keeping older brother…"

"Break it up!" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "We'll talk about this later…" He glanced over at the woman in green. "So you're Princess Fiona, I'm glad you're safe. I'm glad you're all safe."

Fiona smiled, but turned to Shrek, who still had a helmet covering his head. Her eyes lit up with joy. "You did it! You rescued me! You're amazing. You're- you're wonderful. You're… a little unorthodox I'll admit. But thy deed is great, and thy heart is pure. I am eternally in your debt." Donkey and Patria both cleared their throats. "And where would a brave knight be without his noble steed and his fellow knights?"

"I hope you all heard that!" The animal raised a hoof. "She called me a noble steed. She thinks I'm a steed."

The princess clasped her hands as she looked at Shrek. "The battle is won. You may remove your helmet, good Sir Knight."

"Uh, no…"

"Why not?"

"Um," Pith cut in. "I must beg an apology, my lady. For this brave knight of which you speak easily gets, what you might call, helmet hair. He is of such noble standards, that he would not dare be caught in front of such a lovely woman."

The group looked between one another. "Where did Pith learn to talk like that?"

"His theater group…"

The princess smiled at the young man's charm and wording. "I understand, but I would'st look upon the face of my rescuer."

"No, no, you wouldn't- 'st."

"But how will you kiss me?" Fiona cocked her head.

"What?" the ogre looked at Donkey and the others. "That wasn't in the job description."

"Maybe it's a perk."

"No, it's destiny." Princess Fiona seemed confused. "Oh, you must know how it goes. A princess locked in a tower and beset by a dragon is rescued by a brave knight, and then they share true love's first kiss."

"With Shrek!?"

"You think that Shrek is your true love!?"

The princess blinked in confusion. "Well, yes."

Everyone, save Sasuke, Glacies, Ignis, and Blaze, who was just awakening, laughed. "You think Shrek is your true love!"

"What's so funny?"

The ogre took a deep breath to quell his laughter. "Let's just say I'm not your type, okay?

"Of course, you are. You're my rescuer. Now-now remove your helmet." Fiona glared.

"Look, I really don't think this is a good idea."

"Just take off the helmet."

"I'm not going to."

"Take it off."

"No!"

"Now!"

"Okay! Easy." Shrek sighed. "As you command. Your Highness." He slowly removed the helmet, showing his green face.

The princess took a step back. "You-you're a-an ogre."

"Oh, you were expecting Prince Charming."

"Well, yes, actually." She swallowed. "Oh, no. This is all wrong. You're not supposed to be an ogre. Please tell me one of you boys is my prince." She gasped as they shook their heads.

Shrek crossed his arms. "Princess, I was sent to rescue you by Lord Farquaad, okay? He is the one who wants to marry you."

"Then why didn't he come to rescue me?"

"Good question." Patria said smartly, "Why don't you ask him that when you meet him?"

"But…" Fiona stammered, "I have to be rescued by my true love, not by some ogre and his-his pet and some urchins."

"Well, so much for noble steed."

The princess crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, but your job is not my problem. You can tell Lord Farquaad that if he wants to rescue me properly, I'll be waiting for him right here." She plopped down on a rock.

"My lady," Sasuke approached, holding little Ignis. "I do apologize. I may not have been inside the castle, due to the fact that I was making sure this little fella here was safe, but from what's I'm getting, you expect your rescue to go just like it does in stories?" She nodded. "Well, wouldn't you expect a warrior's story to be one where a warrior left his home to seek adventure?" She nodded. "Well, that didn't happen. My world was stripped away from me and everything I love was lost. I had to fight to get back home even though I had no family and nothing to go back to. Now, I am strong and have a new and good life. Let me tell you, the greatest stories are nothing like the books tell. "

"I have been waiting twenty years for a perfect rescue and I'm not going to give up on it!"

Sasuke moved to speak again, but Shrek stepped forward. "Hey! I'm no one's messenger boy, all right? I'm a delivery boy." He picked up the woman and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"You wouldn't dare! Put me down!"

"Well," Patria smirked. "That's one way to do it. Let's go guys."

Everyone shrugged and followed the ogre as the princess continued to struggle. "Put me down, or you will suffer the consequences! This is not dignified! Put me down!"

* * *

An hour had passed and Fiona, now calm, hung limply from Shrek's arm. Glacies, Xally, and Justin kept an eye on little Ignis as the boy walked around. Brim carried his sister on his back; she was conscious but still weak. Sasuke stood in the back with Yuyake and Pith, who both explained what happened in the castle. Brim and Patria weren't speaking to each other.

Sasuke sighed. "I'll talk to them tonight. Let's just get Fiona to Lord Farquaad."

There was a squeak as Shrek dropped Fiona to the ground. "Hey! The sooner we get on Duloc the better."

"You're gonna love it there, Princess," Donkey giggled. "It's beautiful!"

"And what of my groom-to-be? Lord Fargqaad? What's he like?"

The ogre bit his lip. "Let me put it this way, Princess. Men of Farquaad's stature are in… short supply." He and Donkey began laughing.

"I don't know. There are those who think little of him."

"Stop it. Stop it, both of you." Fiona huffed. "You're just jealous you can never measure up to a great ruler like Lord Farquaad."

"Yea, well, maybe you're right, Princess. But I'll let you do the 'measuring' when you see him tomorrow."

The princess looked up at the setting sun. "Tomorrow? It'll take that long? Shouldn't we stop to make camp?"

"No," the ogre shook his head. "That'll take longer. We can keep going."

"Shrek, I think we need to stop for the night. We have a toddler in our midst and I need to talk to some of these kids here." Sasuke crossed his arms.

Shrek grunted. "We need to get there as soon as possible. The shrimp can sleep in someone's arms and you can talk on the way there."

"I need to find somewhere to camp now!" Fiona yelled. Everyone scooted away from her.

* * *

As Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey set up a place, in a cave, for Fiona to sleep, Sasuke took Brim and Blaze away from the group and sat down with them.

"Do you really think this is a good idea, Mr. Kazekiri?" Brimstone asked. "I mean, you won't be around to help us with our problems after this. Shouldn't we work it out on our own?"

"No. Since I'm here now, I can help you in any way I can. Now, I heard what happened earlier. First thing: we're not going to talk about Patria right now; I'll speak with her later. So, you two didn't tell anyone about this; I knew about your powers, but I figured you two would've told them about this. The only reason I didn't say anything to them about it was I trusted you two to tell them."

Blaze huffed. "And tell them that they're traveling with a short-fused bomb… no way. I thought, as long as I could keep my powers under control, they never had to know."

"That's all it boils down to," the man sighed. "…Trust. you should have told them from the start. You may not know them that well yet, but at least they could've known they could trust you. Now, they have no reason to. You've broken their trust before you truly earned it. Now, they have no reason to give either of you their trust."

"Don't blame us! Patria went all reckless and got that dragon ticked at us."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Look, I know Patria was wrong to put all of you in danger, but some of her actions were done out of ignorance. Today might have gone differently and a lot smoother, should you two have told the others about Blaze's powers. Do you two understand?"

"Yes sir…"

"Good, now send Patria over here." The man waited as the two went back to the others and sent Sora's daughter his way. "Patria, take a seat."

She plopped down on a rock and grumbled. "Oh my gosh, I know what you're gonna say. I've heard it all before."

"Patria Kumo…"

"Oh my gosh! You're not my dad!"

"I may not be your real father, but I am your godfather." The swordsman narrowed his eyes. "And you do understand, if we can't find your parents, or something happens to them, you and your brother become my responsibility. I'm trying to take care of you…" He took a deep breath. "Patria, your brother told me what happened, and I had to agree, you put everyone in danger."

"Look," the girl growled, "I didn't know about Blaze or I wouldn't have done it like that."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "So, you're saying you still would've done it, just in a different way?"

"Well yea, we could've taken that thing and I know it! If Aunt Aqua and a single prince could beat Maleficent as a dragon, and my dad beat her in that form with only three others. We could beat that dragon easy!I just didn't know about Blaze."

"That's not the point, Patria." He huffed. "You deliberately put the rest of your team in danger. The other's look to you and you're not honoring that position."

"Why would they look to me?" The girl rolled her eyes. "I'm a reckless person who's nothing but trouble; they all agree on that."

Sasuke gave her a gentle smile and placed a hand on her shoulder. "They look to you because you are Sora's daughter and, in some ways, you are like him." The girl opened her mouth to rebuttal but he held up a hand. "Yes they look to your brother too, but you act more like Sora. He may not have had the temper you do, though he could get very angry if provoked, but he does share the same impulsiveness, courage, competitiveness, and leadership capabilities that you have."

"I do…?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I think we both know how you can be; You act and speak without thinking, you're very brave, you try to be the best at everything, and you are certainly a leader." She gave him a skeptical look on that last point. "You don't believe me…? Look at what happened today; you did a stupid thing and it was a ridiculous plan. Everyone knew that, but they still followed it. Even Blaze, who knew that she would, most likely, lose control of her powers, followed your plan. That shows that you're a leader; you just have to lead people in the right direction and not into danger."

Patria folded her arms and huffed. "I'm sorry I can't be the person that everyone wants me to be. I'm not going to be this great leader like Dad was!" Her voice rose to almost a yell. "I'll never be like him because I can't! I can never be like him or Mom!"

"Patria…" He reached out a hand to her, but she slapped it away.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Sasuke jumped back, eyes wide in shock, as the girl stormed away. "Th-that couldn't have been… I need to tell Master Ansem about this."

* * *

The next morning everyone woke up to the smell of fire and something cooking. Fiona sat, leaning of a fire, cooking eggs. She set them out in front of everyone. "What's all this for?"

"You know, we all kind of got off to a bad start yesterday. I wanted to make it up to you. I mean, after all, you did rescue me."

"Thank you Miss. Fiona!" Ignis clapped his hands and dug in.

"Well, eat up. We've got a big day ahead of us."

* * *

Everyone walked through the woods in a companionable silence. Said silence broke when Shrek let out a loud belch.

"Shrek!"

"What?" The ogre shrugged. "It's a compliment. Better out than in, I always say."

"That's no way to behave in front of a princess."

Suddenly, Fiona belched, much to the surprise of everyone else. "Thanks."

"She's as nasty as you are." Then, Patria belched. "And so is she…"

"You know, you're not exactly what I expected."

"Well," the princess smirked. "Maybe you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them." She strode forward, humming away.

Suddenly, a bunch of men swung down the from the trees, grabbed all the girls in the group, and pulled them up to the higher branches.

"La liberte! Hey!" One clad in green yelled.

"Guys!"

Patria pulled away from the man who grabbed her. "Get your hands off me!" She looked around at all of the girls, who were pulling away from the men who grabbed them. "I wouldn't mess with that one." Patria pointed at Xally. "Her boyfriend's a gladiator."

"Not my boyfriend…"

"What are you doing?" Fiona pulled away from the one in green.

"Be still, mon cherie," he grinned, "For I am your savior! And I am rescuing you from this green… beast"

"Hey! That's my princess! Go find your own!" Shrek growled.

"And my sister!"

The man waved a hand. "Please, monster, children! Can't you see I'm a little busy here?"

"Look pal," the princess narrowed her eyes. "I don't know who you think you are!"

He bowed. "Oh! Of course! Oh, how rude. Please, let me introduce myself. Oh, Merry Men!"

A group of men burst from the bushes and began singing, as an accordion played:

"_Ta, dah, dah, dah, whoo."_

_"I steal from the rich and give to the needy."_

_"He takes a wee percentage…"_

_"But I'm not greedy. I rescue pretty damsels, man, I'm good."_

_"What a guy, Monsieur Hood."_

_"Break it down. I like an honest fight and a saucy little maid…"_

_"What he's basically saying is he like to get…"_

_"Paid! So, when an ogre in the bush garbs a lady by the tush. That's bad."_

_"That's bad."_

_"When a beauty's with a beast it makes me awfully mad."_

_"He's mad, he's really, really mad."_

_"I'll take my blade and ram it through your heart, keep your eyes on me, boys 'cause I'm about to start…_"

As they sang, Fiona grabbed a vine and swung down, knocking the man over. "Man, that was annoying!"

"You said it, sister!"

The Merry Men were not as thrilled. "Oh, you little-" They shot an arrow at her, bu she dodged and it bounced off a tree. Everyone ducked. The group watched in shock as the princess proceeded to beat up every one of the merry men.

The men lay on the ground, moaning as Fiona walked over their unconscious bodies. The girls all climbed down from the trees. The princess smiled. "Uh, shall we?"

"Hold the phone!" the ogre went after her. "Oh! Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on now. Where did that come from?"

"What?"

Brimstone blinked suddenly. "You know what! Back there. That was amazing! Where did you learn that?"

"Well," she laughed somewhat. "When one lives alone, uh, one has to learn these things in case there's a… There's an arrow in your butt!"

"What!" Everyone began stifling their laughter as they noticed the arrow sticking out of Shrek's backside. "Oh, would you look at that?" His hand went to pull out the arrow but, he flinched with a pang of pain.

Patria held both hands up. "You're pulling it out, Princess, since it's your fault it's in there."

"What's wrong?" Donkey trotted up them.

"Shrek's hurt."

"Shrek's hurt… Shrek's hurt? Oh, no, Shrek's gonna die!"

The ogre rolled his eyes. "Donkey, I'm ok…"

"You can't do this to me, Shrek. I'm too young for you to die. Keep your legs elevated! Turn your head and cough. Does anyone know the Heimli…"

"Shut up!" Blaze knocked the animal over the head. "You know, why don't we all go find some… blue flowers to… help with the pain. We can let Fiona handle the arrow. They all followed her and the animal away from Fiona and Shrek.

"What was the blue flower thing all about, sis?"

"Isn't it obvious!?" Xally giggled. "To let Fiona and Shrek have some alone time."

Almost everyone smirked at the thought of that. The group wandered around for five minutes, with Donkey actually looking for the blue flowers. "Donkey," Pith smiled. "The flower thing was made up. We should head back; Fiona's probably got the arrow out by now."

As they came back to where the two were, all saw Fiona lying atop Shrek.

"So," Yuyake raised an eyebrow. "Are we interrupting anything?"

"Nothing happened! We were just, uh…"

Blaze laughed. "You know, I let you two be alone out of kindness but, if you wanted some more alone time, all you had to do was ask."

"Oh come on!" Shrek huffed. "That's the last thing on my mind. The princess here was just…" he yelped as said princess yanked the arrow out of his behind. "UGH!" His glare turned to Fiona. "Ow!"

Donkey noticed a little blood coming from the wound, and he fainted. Patria kicked his unconscious body . "Sissy…"

* * *

As they continued their trek back townads Duloc, they all noticed how strange the princess really was. She caught bugs in a spider web, caught some bugs, and liked her finders as if they were a treat. She also blew up a snake like it was a balloon animal.

* * *

The sun began to drop down towards the horizon as they approached Duloc; they paused by a rundown windmill. Sasuke, carrying a sleeping Ignis on his back, smiled. "There it is, Princess. Your future awaits you."

"That's Duloc."

"Yea, I know," Donkey sighed. "You know, Shrek thinks Lord Farquaad's compensating for something, which I think means he has a really…" Justin cut him off by stuffing grass into the animal's mouth.

"Uh, yea, I guess we better move."

"But Shrek," the princess interrupted. "I'm worried about Donkey."

"What?"

"I mean, look at him. He doesn't look so good." Fiona insisted.

"What are you talking about. I'm fine."

Fiona crossed her arms. "That's what they all say, and then next thing you know, You're on your back. Dead."

Shrek seemed to catch on to what she was doing. "You know, she's right. You look awful. Do you want to sit down?"

"Uh, you know, I'll make you some tea."

Donkey stiffened and looked around nervously. "I didn't want to say nothin', but I got this twinge in my neck, and when I turn my head like this, look…" He turned his head and it fell sideways. "Ow! See?"

"Who's hungry!?" Shrek cut in. "I'll go find us some food."

"FOOD!" Ignis cried, sleepily.

"I'll make the fire!"

* * *

The group sat around the campfire as the sun neared the horizon. Shrek had cooked some kind of meat and almost everyone was eating and enjoying it. "Mm," Fiona smiled. "This is good. This is really good. What is it?"

"Uh, weed rat. Rotisserie style."

Glacies froze and reached over, pulling the meat away from her baby brother before he could bite into it. "How about we get you some fruit instead…"

"No kidding," Fiona asked. "Well this is delicious!" She and the ogre kept eating, while everyone else, lost their appetites.

"Well, they're also great in stews. Now, I don't mean to brag, but I make a mean weed rat stew."

The princess looked down at her cooked rat. "I guess I'll be dining a little differently tomorrow night."

"Maybe…" the ogre said hopefully, "you can come visit me in the swamp sometime. I'll cook all kinds of stuff for you: swamp toad soup, fish eye tar-tare, you name it."

"I'd like that…"

"Uh Princess." Shrek scratched the back of his head.

The woman gave a gentle smile. "Yes, Shrek…"

Everyone gave the two of them a sly look as the princess and ogre stared at one another. The green creature opened his mouth to say something. "I, um, I was wondering… are you… Are you gonna eat that?"

Pith smiled and closed his eyes. "_For the sun may set on this great day, but the air of romance will stay. For while they gaze into eyes, they see the truth that holds no lies_."

"What was that?"

"That was very good, Pith." Sasuke smiled. "Did you come up with that?"

The boy grinned. "I came up with it for a play I'm writing. I thought it fit the moment."

"Wait! Do you mean it's sunset!" Fiona jumped to her feet. "Oh, I… I mean… It's late, it's very late."

"Huh?"

Donkey gave the princess a grin. "Wait a minute. I see what's going on here. You're afraid of the dark."

"Oh, yes, I'm terrified. You know, I better go inside."

Donkey nodded. "Don't feel bad, Princess. I used to be afraid of the dark too, until… no wait, I'm still afraid of the dark."

"Goodnight!" She ran into the windmill and closed the door, swiftly.

* * *

"You know, it's really kind of funny that Shrek is falling for Fiona." Xally giggled.

"It's sick…" Patria mumbled. The entire group talked quietly about the ogre and princess like the gossiping girls from Patria's school. Eventually, she got up and headed for the windmill. She heard two voices talking.

"By day one way, by night another. This shall be the norm… until you find true love's kiss… and then take love's true form." Patria heard Fiona say.

Donkey spoke as well. "Ah, that's beautiful. I didn't know you wrote poetry."

"It's a spell." Fiona said. Patria slid the door open and peaked inside; her eyes widened as she saw Fiona, except for she was now an ogre. "When I was a little girl, a witch cast a spell on me. Every night I become this. This horrible ugly beast. I was placed in a tower to await the day my true love would rescue me. That's why I have to marry Lord Farquaad tomorrow before the sun sets and he sees me like this."

Patria saw Shrek approaching the windmill and decided it was time for her to make an exit.

* * *

The next morning, the group awoke to the sound of trumpet fanfare. Glacies pulled her brother close as guards surrounded them all. One man, in royal garb, sat atop a horse; one could only assume that he was Lord Farquaad.

Farquaad grinned. "Princess Fiona."

"As promised." Shrek strode up to him. "Now hand it over."

"Very well, ogre. The deed to your swamp, cleared out, as agreed. Take it and go before I change my mind." Shrek took a paper from the man's hand. Forgive me, princess, for startling you, but you startled me, for I have never seen such a radiant beauty before. I'm Lord Farquaad."

The princess straightened herself up as the man got off his horse. "Oh, no, no. Forgive me, my lord, for I was just saying a short… farewell" After getting off his horse, Lord Farquaad revealed to be only three feet tall; not much taller than Ignis.

"Short is right…"

"I guess that huge castle was compensating for something."

"Oh that is so sweet," the lord said mockingly. "You don't have to waste good manners on the ogre. It's not like it has feelings."

Fiona glared at said ogre before agreeing. "No… IT doesn't."

Everyone regarded that comment with disbelief and confusion. Blaze crossed her arms at the little man. "Oh, and I suppose we don't have feelings either. After all we did risk our butts to get her out of that stupid castle."

"Yes, yes, you did well… now. Princess Fiona, beautiful, fair, flawless, Fiona." The ruler began as he grabbed the woman's hand. "I ask your hand in marriage. Will you be the perfect bride for the perfect groom?"

"Lord Farquaad, I accept. Nothing would make me…"

"Excellent!" the short man cut in. "I'll start the plans. For tomorrow, we wed."

Fiona's eyes grew wide. "No! I mean, uh, why wait? Let's get married today, before the sun sets."

"Oh, anxious, are you?" Farquaad grinned. "You're right. The sooner, the better. There's so much to do! There's the caterer, the cake, the band, the guest list. Captain, round up some guests, starting with them!" He pointed at the group of Keybearers and warriors. He and Fiona were put on his horse.

"Fare-thee-well, ogre." They rode off towards Duloc, with the guards escorting, at the end of spear-points, led the group towards town.

"Looks like we're going to a wedding."

* * *

"I don't do weddings…" Patria muttered.

"The fact that we, like everyone else were brought here against our will." Sasuke crossed his arms. "Now, am I the only one who thinks this wedding isn't right?"

"You're not…"

Brim sighed. "It should be Shrek she's marrying, not this butt."

"I think we can all agree on that."

Patria sighed. "You guys know nothing…"

"Wait," Pith leaned forward and looked at his twin. "What do you know that we don't?"

"I'm not telling…" the older twin mocked in a sing-song voice.

The others were about to press her further, but they were shushed as one of the guards held up a sign that said 'Revered Silence'. Everything within Patria wanted to yell, just to go against the sign, but her godfather gave her a look.

The priest stood before Fiona and Lord Farquaad, his hands clasped together. "People of Duloc, we gather here today to bear witness to the union…"

"Um…" Fiona looked at the sun, nervously; only Patria noticed this.

"…of our new king…" the priest continued.

"Excuse me," the bride cut in, glancing to the sun. "Could we just skip ahead to the 'I do's'?"

Farquaad chuckled and motioned for the priest to do as she said. "Go on."

Patria leaned back and suddenly saw the silhouette of donkey appearing against the stain glass window behind them. "This is going to be interesting."

"And so, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife, king and queen…"

"I OBJECT!" Everyone turned around to see Shrek burst in the door.

The group stood up and followed Shrek to the alter. Fiona gasped as he came her way. "Shrek?"

The groom huffed in annoyance. "Oh, now what does he want?"

"Hi, everyone." The ogre looked at the traumatized crowd. "Having a good time, are ya? I love Duloc, first of all. Very clean."

"What are you doing here?"

Farquaad rolled his eyes. "Really, it's rude enough being alive when no one wants you, but showing up uninvited to a wedding…"

"Fiona! I need to talk to you." Shrek went up to the woman.

"Oh, now you wanna talk?" Fiona huffed. "It's a little late for that, so if you'll excuse me…"

Patria finally got annoyed with this. "Look here, Prissy Princess, you can't marry him."

"And why not?"

"Well, for starters, I don't think he really gives a crap about you." The older twin crossed her arms. "He's just marrying you so he can be king. If that's love, then why would anyone want it?"

Farquaad feigned shock. "OUTRAGEOUS! Fiona, don't listen to her!"

"He's not your true love!" Shrek yelled.

"And what do you know about true love!?"

The ogre averted his eyes. "Well, I… uh… I mean…"

"Oh, this is precious." Lord Farquaad placed his hands over his heart. "The ogre has fallen in love with the princess! Oh, good lord." He began laughing and the guard held up a prompt card for the crowd to laugh as well. "An ogre and a princess!"

"Shrek is this true?"

Xally cried out. "Of course it is! We all could see it!"

"Who cares?" Farquaad waved dismissively. "It's preposterous! Fiona, my love, we're but a kiss away from our 'happily ever after'. Now kiss me!" He puckered up, but Fiona pulled back and looked at the setting sun.

"'By day one way, by night another.'" The bride looked at Shrek, and almost relieved look in her eyes. "I wanted to show you before." As the sun set, a glowing cloud swirled around her and vanished to reveal that she was now an ogre.

"WHAT!?" Brimstone jumped back.

Patria smirked. "Didn't know she did that, did ya?"

"Well-I… that actually explains a lot…" Sasuke whistled.

Shrek nodded. "You said it, Sasuke."

"Ugh! It's disgusting!" Lord Farquaad drew back. "Guards! Guards! I order you to get that out of my sight now! Get them! Get them both!"

The group leapt up on the alter and drew out their weapons. "Not if we have anything to say about it!"

"Oh but you don't…" the short man clapped his hand. "Oh Griffy!" Suddenly the window behind them smashed in and a large Griffin flew through.

"Ignis, go to Fiona!" Glacies placed her brother on the ground and he tottered over to the female ogre.

The griffin snapped at them, making the group jump back. Sasuke took a deep breath. "Blaze, Brim, try and get behind it. Nothing scares something off like it's tail being on fire. Everyone else, keep it's attention on us."

"You got it!" Yuyake ran in, leaping over the monster's beak and slamming down both of his Keyblades on it's head.

Justin and Xally aimed their blades at the wings, trying to cripple it.

Pith ran in for a good slash across the lower throat, followed by Glacies and Patria.

Ryô however stood back He refused to fight it. All he did was cast Aero spells to herd the griffin away when it tried to attack the others.

Suddenly, the griffin screeched loudly; it's tail feathers were covered in fire. It panicked and charged for the church doors. As it leapt over Sasuke, the man swung his sword at a wide arc and slashed it across the belly. The monster screeched and fell to the ground.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" They all turned to see guards around Shrek and Fiona; Farquaad had a smirk decorating his features. He pointed behind him.

"NO IGNIS!" Glacies gasped.

The toddler struggled in the grip on one of the guards. "G'ace! Help!"

"Farquaad!" Sasuke strode towards the small man. "Let the kid go!"

"How about no. Now you all put down your weapons or he gets to decorate the end of a sword." As they did so, the guards subdued them. The small man grabbed a crown nearby. "All this hocus-pocus alters nothing. This marriage is binding, and that makes me king! See? See?"

"NO!"

The new king grinned at Shrek. "I'll make you regret the day we me. I'll see you drawn and quartered! You'll beg for death to save you!" He turned his attention to Fiona. "And as for you, my wife, I'll have you locked back in that tower for the rest of your days! I'm king! Oh, and as for you sword-swinging troublemakers, I'll see you all hanged for high treason against me!" Shrek pulled away from the guards holding him and whistled. "I WILL HAVE ORDER! I will have perfection! I will have…"

The window over the church doors cracked and the wall broke in. Donkey sat on the back of the same dragon from Fiona's tower. The dragon leaned over and ate Lord Farquaad. Donkey yelled. "All right. Nobody move. I got a dragon here, and I'm not afraid to use it. I'm a donkey on the edge!"

The dragon burped and Farquaad's crown flew out of her mouth and clattered to the ground. Yuyake smirked. "Celebrity marriages. They never last."

The guards released everyone; Glacies scooped up her baby brother, happily. Xally went over to the male ogre and gave him a shove. "Go on, Shrek."

The two ogres looked at one another. "Uh, Fiona…"

"Yes, Shrek?"

"I-I love you."

"Really?"

"Really, really."

"I love you too…" Shrek smiled and pulled Fiona into a kiss. Fiona pulled away as magic surrounded her, lifting her into the air.

As the magic lowered her back to the ground Shrek ran to her side. "Fiona? Fiona. Are you all right?"

"Well, yes." She looked herself over only to see that she was still an ogre. "But I don't understand. I'm supposed to be beautiful."

"But you ARE beautiful." Shrek pulled her into his arms and they shared another kiss.

Patria turned away to see, where the griffin broke through the window, a Keyhole appeared. She withdrew the lock piece and smiled. "One step closer…"

* * *

Ansem the Wise looked up as Sasuke entered his study. "So, how was being back in the field?"

"Quite interesting." He sat down. "Actually, I need to speak with you about Patria. I'm concerned about her."

"What do you mea…"

"YOU IDIOT PACIFIST!"

The two men walked into the main lab. Patria glared down Ryô. "Would you just listen to me?"

"No way!" the older twin growled. "You need to get it through your thick skull that diplomacy won't always work. Do you really think you could've walked up to Xehanort and talked him out of recreating the χ-blade? And how about whoever took our parents; you think you could talk them into giving them back. No! Some people cannot be reasoned with!" She grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "And if you don't believe that, next time we face someone, and you try to talk them down, I won't save you if they try to kill you. It'll be your own stupid fault!" Throwing the boy to the ground, she stormed out.

Isa, who stood nearby, looked to Even. "Are we certain that she is the daughter of Sora and Kairi?"

"What happened?" Ansem looked to Pith.

"Well, Brim and Tria were arguing about something that went on in that world. Then, Ry started talking about, 'if we hadn't fought at all, things would've worked out better', and Tria just lost it."

"My lord," Sasuke motioned to his leader. They left the room. "This is what I wanted to speak with you about. I just felt it again."

"Felt what?"

"Two night ago, Patria got angry at me and, like just now, I felt an immense darkness coming from her. And by immense, I mean, I've never felt a more potent darkness inside a person." He looked down. "I don't know if we should let her continue traveling."

Ansem sighed. "The fact that this is Patria, we would have to keep her under lock and key to make sure she didn't run off on her own. It's probably safer to just ask her brother to keep and eye on her and tell us if things get out of hand."

"Ok…"

* * *

Glacies ruffled her sleeping brother's hair as she stared out at the moon. "Oh Mom, Dad, where are you?"

Suddenly, a dark corridor opened to her right; the girl jumped to her feet and summoned Hoarfrost. A figure in dark clothes, a black, hooded cloak covered his face. "Who are you?" The figure held out a small package to her. Glacies took it and unwrapped it to find a small, creme-filled pastry. "Wait… are you…?"

"You figured it out."

"What are you doing here?"

The man looked out the window, at the sky. "I'm going to borrow Ryô for three days. His pacifist ideals are something your group needs, but there is an extreme side that he's taken to. So, I'm going to get him out of it. Otherwise, he's going to get himself killed and if you kids are going to succeed, you are going to need him alive."

"I knew it! I knew you cared about them… even about Ventus."

"Let's get one thing straight. I DO NOT care about them; I'm only doing this because now MY neck is on the line too." He turned back to the dark corridor. "Don't leave this world; I'll have him back after three days."

Glacies gave a little smile. "You'll have him back in one piece, right?"

"Oh I won't hurt him too much," he went to the corridor. "He's my godson after all…"

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed the Shrek world!**

**Please review!**

* * *

**_As the group tries to rest before going back out, two more assassins appear. Which stirs up the, already, tense atmosphere_. In…**

**Radiant Garden.**

* * *

**As a Good Father**

In our lives, we are faced with choices. We can choose to do good or to do wrong.

As a child, have you ever done something and your parents let you so you can learn from the consequences of your actions? That's how life it, we choose wrong and we face the consequences.

Sometimes, we ask God to help us, when we do something wrong, to get us out of the trouble we got ourselves into. God is our father, and he always answers our pleas; however, sometimes we forget that 'no' is an answer too.

If we do not learn from our mistakes, we will be prone to repeat them. God allows us to learn from our mistakes.

In the Old Testament, the people of Israel did evil and they had to learn from the consequences. Sadly, many times, they continued to repeat them even after the consequences.

Isaiah 27:8 says "_By warfare and exile you contend with her…_"

God loves you and that's why, as a good father, he allows you to learn from your mistakes, so you will not repeat them.


	14. Chapter 13: Radiant Garden visit 2

**Hey guys!**

**I got this one done before college classes got into full swing!**

**I hope you guys enjoy this one!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**All my OCs (c) to me!**

**Chapter 13: Radiant Garden visit 2**

Patria lay on the bed, staring up at the celling, thinking on all that had transpired as of late, specifically on what her godfather told her. How could she be a leader? She didn't want to be, but if people followed her all the same, maybe she should lead them to a new leader. If she listened to Glacies, as much as she didn't want to, people might follow the Keyblade master and not her.

She looked at the clock and leapt to her feet. Time to meet the others; they were all going to spend some time in town together, as a group for lunch.

* * *

Brim led the others to the Seventh Heaven restaurant and bar. Tifa looked up as they came inside. "Hello everyone! How are you?"

"Pretty good."

Tifa's daughter, Cirrus, smiled and waved. However, the male pyro seemed distracted by a girl in a waitress uniform. She had long, straight, pink hair and piercing green eyes. "Excuse me, everyone. I've got some business to attend to." He strode up and grabbed the girls hand, spinning her towards him. "Hey babe, how's it hangin'?"

"Babe!?" Everyone flinched as she slapped Brimstone. "How many times have I told you, don't call me 'babe'?"

The boy kept flirting with her and received three more slaps before Yuyake asked. "And, who is that?"

"You guys have heard of the Somebodies of Marluxia and Larxene right?"

They nodded. "They're Arleen and Railaum, right?"

"Yep," Blaze nodded, "That's their daughter, Rose. Brim is madly in love with her, even though he flirts with other girls."

"Her brother is the living definition of a 'skirt chaser'."

"Oh joy…"

* * *

Brimstone sat outside Seventh Heaven, a bag of ice against his cheek. Tifa had to kick him out because he wouldn't stop hitting on Rose, and even made a flirty comment to Cirrus, in front of her mother.

"Having a hard day…?" Came a sweet voice.

Brim looked up and gaped. A olive-skinned girl stood before him, with curly, pink and lavender hair. She wore a light-purple dress with a slit on one side and a v-neck, with a magenta cape to match her magenta and white boots.

"Heeelllloooo gorgeous!"

"Oh!" The girl looked genuinely surprised at that reaction. She smiled at him. "Well, aren't you a charmer."

"I try…" He winked.

She blushed and turned away. "Perhaps we'll see each other again, soon." With that, she walked away.

The others came out of the restaurant just in time to see the girl walk away. Sadly, Rose saw her too; the pink-haired girl went over and slapped him upside the head. "And who was that!?"

"Oh, hey babe. She's just some girl I me…" His voice caught in his throat as Rose slapped him across the face.

"DON'T CALL ME BABE!"

Hikari looked at Blaze. "Um… what's up with her? She was against his flirting, then she was mad that he was talking to another girl, and now she's slapping him again."

"She actually likes him, but doesn't want to admit it."

Ryô tapped Blaze on her shoulder. "The girl he was talking to went that way, if you want to go see."

"Thanks Ry." The pyro ran off after the girl. She saw the girl talking with a second female. This one wore a purple military-like outfit and she had long teal hair, in a ponytail.

The second girl leaned towards the first. "Rodia! What were you doing? I thought I said no fraternizing with the target."

"I wasn't fraternizing, Jazzy!" Rodia replied hotly. "I was only trying to walk past him, but he looked like he was having a bad day. I was only being courteous."

"Courtesy… there's no room for courtesy in our job. What would our mistress say if she saw your softness?"

Rodia averted her gaze. "I really am trying. I do want to be the best I can, but I also want to be a good person."

"There is no room for 'good people' in our line of work."

Blaze narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the sound of that. "I don't like these two…" She slipped away, back to the others.

* * *

"Rose! I was only saying hi!" Brimstone countered. "What's wrong with being a gentleman?"

"Hmph!" The pink-haired girl averted her eyes.

Blaze ran over to them. "Rose, I'd forget being mad about that girl. She's bad news anyways."

"What?" Glacies strode forward. "How do you know?"

"I heard her, and a girl called Jazzy, talking. They said there was no room for 'good people' in their work. I don't trust them."

Patria sighed. She had an idea, but she was trying to keep Glacies as the true leader. "Glace, what do you think?"

"Huh? Me?" The older girl stammered. "Oh, well, I think we should confront them and get answers. Oh, and Blaze, Patria, I want you both to stay back and, um, let Pith do the talking. We don't need either of you blowing your tops."

"Fine…"

* * *

Jazzy and Rodia turned as the group came towards them. "I told you, Rodia, fraternizing with them will only cause trouble."

"Excuse me." Pith came forward, smiling kindly. "My name is Pith, but I have a feeling you already know that."

"Indeed… now what do you want?"

Pith did nothing but continue to smile at them. "I actually was going to ask you the very same question. You see, though you may be two lovely ladies, we do not tolerate troublemakers or anyone planning to cause harm to anyone. So, what is it that you want?"

Suddenly, a swirl of dust knocked them all out of the alley, into the square before Seventh Heaven. They all jumped to their feet. "Hey!" Hikari huffed. "What did we ever do to you?"

"Hmph…" Jazzy merely rolled her eyes. "I truly cannot believe that Xext and Malachi were beaten by you lot."

"So, you're with those losers." Yuyake grinned.

The teal-haired girl growled. "Losers indeed…"

"Well, now we know what you want." Brimstone smirked. "You want to capture us, take us to your mistress, and we'll beg for death, blah, blah, blah…"

"Well, if you're already bored with the proceedings," Rodia sighed. Out of a hole on the tops of the white diamond, on her boots, water came out, swirling about the girl. "We can get this over with."

"Then let's do it!" The group summoned their weapons.

"WAIT!" Ryô stepped in between the combatants. "We don't have to fight!"

Patria growled. "Ry… get your butt out of the WAY!"

"NO! We do not have to fight!" He turned to the two girls. "Look, your mistress wants something that we have or can give. Why doesn't she come here and we can negotiate. There is always a way to find a middle ground that works best for both sides."

Jazzy relaxed and grinned. "A pacifist… I love pacifists. Don't worry, I like negotiating as well." She walked towards him, until she stood less than a foot away. "Except, my form of negotiation is a little more… potent." Without warning, her fingernails grew eleven inches and drove themselves into Ryô.

"NO!" Blaze ran to her friend, but flew back as Rodia launched a jet of water at her.

"There is no negotiation…" The teal-haired girl pulled out her nails, now stained with blood, and tossed the blond boy to the side.

A burst of sand hit the others in the group; Glacies cast a Protect spell and Blaze held up a shield of fire as the others flew back. Before they could react, a barrier formed around them, separating them from the others and each other. Glacies turned to glare at Jazzy, with whom she was trapped. "You're going to regret that."

* * *

"First you try to trick my brother," Blaze growled low at Rodia, "and then you help your friend try and kill my best friend in all the world. You better hope I kill you, because, if I don't, you will suffer in ways you can't even imagine."

The other girl moved her arms and the water followed. "I didn't mean to trick him, if that helps."

"It doesn't…" The pyro's hair lit with fire and her eyes became orbs of green flame.

"Don't lose control," Rodia mocked. "I know enough about you to know how unstable your powers are…"

"Oh, believe me, this isn't full power. I wouldn't waste my powers on you." She charged forward at blinding speed, giving the other girl a split second to pull up a wall of water in defense.

Steam rose up in the air, making it impossible for anyone to see what was going on inside the barrier.

* * *

Glacies summoned her Keyblade as Jazzy's nails extended to eleven inches. Sand swirled around the assassin. "So, you're the Keyblade Master I've heard about. Let's test your metal against mine!"

The sand jetted towards the Keybearer, and Glacies held her position. A flash of fire broke through the sand, and the air filled with strange tinkling sounds. Then a bolt of lightning hit the remaining sand and the sand broke around a clear barrier.

"I'm not ignorant; I know how to stop sand." She tapped on the clear wall. "Strong heat, plus sand, equals glass."

"So what…"

The young woman launched an Aeroza spell, shattering the glass and sending it hurtling towards Jazzy! "So this…!"

The other girl swiped at the glass with her nails and launched more sand, only for Glacies to counter with more Fire and Thunder spells.

"It appears that we're at an impasse…"

"Not entirely… VORTEX!" Glacies cast a spell, creating a twister around the assassin, picking up all the glass around her feet.

When the swirling winds subsided, Jazzy fell to the ground, covered in cuts and, in some places, pieces of glass stuck out from her body. "S-so this is what a battle with a Keyblade Master is like?"

"This is what a battle with me is like… Now, who sent you; who is your mistress?"

Jazzy coughed up blood as a swirling, dark portal appeared beneath her feet. "Not on your life…" With that, she vanished.

"GET BACK HERE!" Glacies saw Blaze throw a flaming knife at a dark corridor where, presumably, Rodia had disappeared moments before.

"Sis," Brimstone placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "She's gone; calm down."

"Th-they hurt Ry! I'm going to get them for that!"

"HEY! What are you doing!?" Everyone turned as Hikari cried out.

A hooded figure leaned over Ryô, getting ready to pick the boy up. The figure glanced up at them, light reflecting off his golden eyes. He picked up the boy and slung him over his shoulder.

Brim pulled out his twin hatchets. "Put him down!"

Glacies tensed as the figure looked at her; the young master sighed as she placed a barrier between them and him.

"Glacies! What are you doing!?"

"Trust me…" the girl looked at her friends. "No harm will come to Ryô. That man is an ally. He's going to help Ry."

Blaze didn't listen; she only pounded on the barrier. "I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! LET MY FRIEND GO!"

The figure merely summoned a dark corridor and walked through it, Ryô in his grasp.

"NOOOO!"

* * *

Ryô groaned and opened his eyes. He blinked in surprise; he lay on a hard cot in a small shack. Dirt littered the floor and hard sunlight filtered through the broken slats of the roof and walls.

He tensed at the sight of a hooded and cloaked figure, standing nearby, his back to the boy. Ryô tried to get up, but a sharp pain racked his gut and he cried out.

"Don't move… I'm not that good at healing magic, so that spell is going to take a while to finish healing you."

"Wh-who are you?" The man didn't answer. "Ok… Where am I?"

The figure turned, slightly, towards him. "The Keyblade Graveyard…"

"Huh!? Why did you bring me here!? You kidnapped me! What do you want!?" Despite the pain, the boy managed to get to his feet and charged the man. "Take me back! You freak!"

The man grabbed Ryô by his arm and dragged him back to the bed. "Stay still if you want that injury to heal. Oh, and that's no way to speak to your godfather."

"My what!?" The boy cringed and clutched his gut in pain. "Wait… then that means you-you're… Vanitas…"

The man sighed and pulled off the hood. "You're such an idiot, just like your father. You should have figured that out earlier." His eyes narrowed. "Now lie still or that wound will never heal."

"Fine…" The boy laid back on the cot. He closed his eyes, but opened them again when he felt a something land on his chest. "Ah!" The boy jumped as he came face to face with a small blue creature with beady red eyes.

"Akame, down."

"Akame…?" The boy noticed a collar around the Flood on his chest and, sure enough, the name on the tag was 'Akame'. "You name your Unversed?"

"No, just that one. Akame… get down." The Flood jumped off the bed and scampered across the floor.

The boy moved a bit and didn't feel any pain, so he sat up. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he looked around. "So… do you live here…?"

"What do you think, idiot? This place is a dump and full of horrible memories for me." Vanitas scowled; his scowl only deepened when Akame leapt up onto his shoulder. "Excuse me… do I look like Vanette or Alya to you?" The monster paused for a moment before getting down. "That's what I thought…"

"Vanette? Alya? Who are they?"

"That is none of your business!" He growled "Now if you're feeling better, get off your butt."

Ryô cocked his head. "What are you…?"

"I didn't bring you here to only heal you. Get up; I'm here to help you." He pulled his godson up.

"What do you mean?"

The man clenched his teeth. "If you're thinking that I care about what happened to your father, don't. I don't care about Ventus, Naminé, or any of the others. I'm only doing it because I've been dragged in this mess now."

"Huh?"

"Ok, look," Vanitas paused and glared at his godson. "I don't like this anymore than you do. However, I am being drawn back into Ventus by whoever took him. If I'm inside that idiot, and he dies, I die. That's why I need to make sure you kids get through this." He led the boy to the door and threw it open; outside lay nothing but bare rock as far as the eye could see. "Your pacifist ideals are something good, yes, but you are going overboard with them and that will get you killed."

Ryô looked down. Vanitas was right; his diplomatic attempt with Jazzy was a disaster. "I still believe peace is the proper response to all violence…"

"At times, yes, but certainly not now. I've been watching these people, they will not listen to reason. You will have to fight, or you will die."

"I don't believe in fighting…" The boy glanced down.

Vanitas sighed. "So what, you won't defend yourself if you're attacked by something or someone who cannot be reasoned with?"

"Everyone can be reasoned with…" Ryô insisted quietly.

"Oh, so you think!" Without warning, twenty Scrappers leapt towards the boy. Ryô attempted to cast a protection spell, but his godfather cast seal, preventing him from using magic.

The boy had no choice but to summon Calm Construct and block the attacks of the monsters. He did not fight back, but merely blocked; he left himself wide open to most attacks.

It didn't take long for him to collapse from pain. Vanitas cast a Cure spell and huffed. "Now, get up and fight back."

"No!"

"Have it your way…" With a wave of his hand, the Unversed attacked again. "I'm going to keep doing this until you fight."

"I WON'T FIGHT!"

* * *

Vanitas carried the boy back to the shack and laid him down on the cot. He had to admit, the boy was stubborn. Ryô hadn't fought once the entire day; now he was completely exhausted.

"At least you got something from me… too bad it's my stubbornness."

* * *

About noon, on the second day, Ryô fought back for the first time. He finally figured out that his opponent would not listen to reason. The boy attacked the Unversed and destroyed them, only for his godfather to send bigger Unversed at him.

By the end of the second day, the boy fought without qualm. He walked back to the shack, without complaint and lay down to sleep.

* * *

The third day, Vanitas faced his godson in combat. The boy now understood that this person would not hold back or listen to reason.

As the two fought, the man unleashed a group of Floods to test the boy's strength. However, after the boy defeated them, he stopped. "That's enough…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not fighting you anymore." Ryô dismissed his sword.

"You idiot!" the man glared. "Are you dismissing everything you learned!?"

His godson shook his head. "Not at all, I understand what you were trying to teach me, it's just, I'm not fighting you or the Unversed anymore." He smiled. "You told me that you don't care about me, but you're lying."

"And how do you know that…?"

"You used the Unversed to teach me. Every time I defeat one, it hurts you, doesn't it…?" The silence he received in answer confirmed his question. "You've been hurting yourself when you could've fought me the entire time and not really gotten a scratch, but you used the Unversed and caused yourself pain." Ryô smiled. "You do care about me, as much as you protest."

Vanitas said nothing; with a wave of his hand, a dark corridor appeared. "Go…"

"Huh?"

"Go back to your friends. I said I'd have you for three days… now go…"

Ryô moved towards the portal before stopping. "Vanitas… Godfather… what's going to happen to you?"

"I don't know." The dark Keybearer admitted, "But, you better get out of here before my patience wears thin."

"Ok, Godfather… See you soon." With those words, the boy vanished into the dark corridor.

* * *

Vanitas walked through the woods, hoping to get back home before he merged with Ventus again. He stumbled as his body began to fade and darkness took him.

"Alya… Vanette… forgive me…"

* * *

Ventus stood in a dark room; he'd been here for some time, with nothing happening. Finally, something did happen; a bright light flooded the room and a second figure stood beside him.

At first, he did not recognize the person, however the black hair and golden eyes gave it away quickly. "Vanitas, is that you?"

"Of course it's me, idiot! Now, don't think for a second I came back into your heart of my own free will. I don't want to be here. Whoever is imprisoning you pulled me back here."

"Ok…" the man gave an awkward smile. "It's been a while. You look like you're doing well."

Vanitas moved to make a rude remark, but the room began to shake and the floor split apart and a wall rose up between the two men.

Ventus felt the floor tilting beneath his feet and he slid into a dark hole. He tumbled down until his body slammed into the ground. At once, he knew his arm was broken.

"Ventus… it has been quite a long time, hasn't it?"

The man looked up in shock and fear. "You!? You can't be here!"

"I am here… but, where is here?"

Suddenly, the world around him became clear; he gaped in shock and horror. His home world of Tech Town burned around him and people screamed.

A group of people dragged four bound figures, heads covered by hoods, to four blocks. They bent the four figures over the blocks and four hooded men with large axes came towards them.

Ventus knew a public execution when he saw it. The man tried to get to his feet, but dark wisps held him down. He gasped as the hoods of those who were to be executed, were pulled off. "NOOO!"

The four figures were his mother, father, Naminé, and Ryô. The man pulled against his bonds, but he could not move. All Ventus could do is watch as the executioners raised their axes and brought them down, severing the heads from the bodies of his family.

Ven sat, too shocked and grieved to make a sound. His body went limp and he fell to the ground, eyes dimming in pain. "Why… Why is this happening…?"

* * *

Vanitas clenched his fists. Someone was toying with him. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. "Ah, my old apprentice. My, you have changed."

"No! It can't be!"

Hands made of darkness rose up and began grabbing at him. "Oh, but it is… and you will suffer for your betrayal of the darkness."

The man summoned his Keyblade and began slashing at the hands. Darkness blurred his vision as he continued to hack away at his assailants.

He froze as he heard a familiar scream. His vision cleared and he saw a woman with pale blue hair kneeling nearby, holding a small child in her arms. "How-how could you do this…?"

"Alya? Vanette?" He inched forward towards the two females.

The woman looked up at him, brown eyes filled with anger and hatred. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID! YOU KILLED HER!"

"No!" He reached down to touch the child. "I didn't- I couldn't have…"

"GET AWAY FROM US!" The woman shoved him away. "YOU'RE A MONSTER! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! GO AWAY!"

Vanitas backed up, tears in his eyes. "Th-this can't be happening… it just can't…"

* * *

**All of you who read 'Tales of Vanitas'… you are welcome.**

**Please review!**

* * *

_**Rose:**__ Daughter of Arleen and Railaum. She is sassy and has a temper like her mother. Even though she acts like she hates Brimstone, she is actually into him. _

_**Rodia:**__ An assassin who can control water. She may not dress well, but she is very sweet, despite her job._

_**Jazzy:**__ An assassin who can control sand and who's fingernails elongate as weapons. She is strict and makes sure that all the other assassins are in line._

* * *

**What You See and What Others Feel**

There's a popular Christian song called "Give me Your Eyes". The lyrics of this song ask for God to give the singer his eyes to see what he sees, his arms for the broken-hearted, his heart to break for what breaks God's, and the love God has for man.

That is exactly what I have asked for and you can ask for it as well. You can see people how God sees them.

You can see that angry person as someone who was hurt and doesn't know how to respond other than to hurt others.

You can see that kid on the street as someone who's dad just walked out on them and your heart will break for them. You will feel a love for people that your never felt before.

I will admit, sometimes it hurts, but it gives you a new perspective.

You can also ask God to let you feel what other people feel. I will tell you, it is not the easiest task to do. It will hurt because you are feeling the pain that others do, and it gives you a new compassion and a new insight into the pain of others.

Recently, I had a moment where God allowed me to feel something that I had never experienced before. I had this overwhelming want to be a mother. I teared up every time I saw a small child and I even dreamed, and it was one of the most vivid dreams I've ever had and I can still recall it, that I was a mother.

I did not know where this came from. I'm single and have no intention on becoming a mother anytime soon. So, I asked God why this was happening to me. He reminded me of when I asked Him to let me feel what others feel. Then he told me, "This is what it feels like to be barren".

I now know how people other than myself feel and it gives me a new heart for them and it can do the same for you, all you need do is ask.


	15. Chapter 14: Aincrad

**Hi guys!**

**I know I forgot to add the little teaser at the end of the last chapter, so this one is a surprise.**

**I do know one reader *cough*Yami*cough* would've been super hype if he'd known what world they visit this chapter.**

**To guest: **

**I don't have Disney channel and haven't seen the Descendants movie. Honestly, I already have next-gen Disney characters created and I'm going to keep them. **

**Ok, now to the chapter…**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**SAO (c) to ASCII Media Works!**

**All my OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Aincrad**

* * *

Glacies sat, absorbing all the berating from Blaze about letting Ryô be taken away. She'd been doing this for the last few days.

Everyone was a little angry with her, because of her decision. However, she stood by her decision.

Just as Brimstone got up to hold his sister down, a dark corridor opened up and Ryô strode out. "Hey guys!"

"RY!" Blaze tackled her childhood friend in a hug.

"Dude!" Yuyake exclaimed, "What happened to you?"

"Are you ok!?"

"Where did that guy take you!?"

"Who was he?"

Ryô held up his hands. "Guys! Calm down… I'm just fine. It was just my godfather; I would've gone with him willingly, had I been conscious. He just wanted to help me."

"Help you?"

"Yes," he looked around. "I think you'll all be happy to know, that I now understand what you all tried to tell me. Not everyone will listen to reason and I've accepted this. There will be times when I will have to fight."

Blaze pulled back a little bit, smiling. "Well, that's good!"

* * *

Ansem the Wise smiled as he saw Ryô come into the study, with the others behind him. "Ah, you're alright, just as Glacies said you would be."

"Wait! Glacies, you knew he was coming?"

"Yes," she nodded. "He told me the night before. It was my job to make sure these guys stayed on this world, and that they didn't panic… I didn't do too well with that second one."

"Well, he wasn't too bad. He just beat the truth into me…" the boy admitted.

"That certainly sounds like him." Glacies admitted. "I only met him once before. I was three years old at the time. However, I've heard stories about him all my life."

Ryô chuckled nervously, "Let me say, the stories are pretty accurate."

"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Patria dragged the two apart.

The two looked at each other and responded at the same time. "My godfather/Vanitas."

"Huh!?"

"By Vanitas, you don't mean The Vanitas!?"

Glacies nodded. "Indeed we do…"

Sasuke got up from his position, leaning on the wall. "I think you guys should've told us, especially since Vanitas was involved."

"He wasn't going to do anything," Ry argued. "He's my godfather and just wanted to help me out. He's been pulled into this too; whoever took our parents is pulling him back into my dad! He was just making sure we could get him out this trouble. Believe me, he's changed…"

Ansem folded his hands, "We can debate the morale of Vanitas later. I have some news from Tron. I asked him to search for any lock pieces. He detected one in a world that can only be reached through his world."

"Sounds like a plan!" Pith smiled. His eyes glanced over at Hikari; his cousin had seemed a little down in the dumps. Not surprising, since she was the youngest in the group and, if she lost Riku, she would've lost her real parents and the mother who saved her from a life of abuse at her mother's boyfriend. "Kari… you ok?"

"I'm fine…"

Yuyake watched the exchange, with his arms crossed. "Do we want to go now or wait for Ry to rest a bit."

"I'm cool to go now," Ryô smiled.

"Very well," Isa motioned for the kids to follow him; Sasuke had to pick up Ignis to make sure he didn't follow.

Even turned to them, "Before we send you in, if any of you see Myde in Tron's world, let him know he still owes rent here at the castle."

"Ha! Sure, we'll tell him, if we see him." Ienzo pressed a few buttons and a circular circuit board lit up and a beam shot out, hitting each kid.

The world turned dark for a moment, before lighting up with small squares of light flashing before their eyes.

Suddenly, they appeared in a dark blue room that seemed to glow, slightly. Each one now wore darker versions of their clothes, covered in lines of glowing light.

A man in gray clothes, with blue lights, stood before them. "Hello friends! My name is Tron."

"Hi Tron!" Blaze smiled. "Good to see you, again."

"It's good to see you Blaze. Now, don't tell me your names, I already know them."

"Ok then…" Patria sighed. "So, how do we get to this world?"

The program turned to a computer board and began typing. "This world is vary difficult to get to. It's connected to another world, except it's connections have been severed, in a way. I can get you in and out, but it would be best if you don't reveal that to those who are in the world, for they have no way out."

"We understand…" Glacies nodded.

"Also," Tron cut in. "I wouldn't summon your Keyblades. You will be given traditional weapons, and I believe that you will not be able to use magic, or the Force in this world." Justin and Xally looked at each other. "Oh, and those who use two swords, you will only be able to use one; you will have a shield instead of a second sword."

"Oh joy…"

The program pressed one last key. "Despite all that, I think you teenagers might enjoy this little world, some what."

With that, light swallowed the kids.

* * *

Suddenly, the group found themselves in bright sunlight. "What the heck!?"

"Dude! Check us out!" Each one wore clothes, similar to their normal ones, except these were more old fashioned and they all wore some sort of armor. All of them had a heart symbol somewhere on their clothing. Just as Tron told them, each person had a traditional weapon on their person.

Patria drew the rapier out of its sheath. "This sword is too beautiful to be real! The balance is perfect, not to mention that the metal-work is of the highest quality."

Pith looked at his weapon; he, like Yuyake, Glacies, Justin, and Hikari had a broadsword. His and the youngest girl both had longer swords, made to be held with two-hands, unlike the others. Yuyake and Justin both had shields as well, just as Tron said they would.

Xally held a double-bladed sword; Ryô held a longer, thinner sword for back-handed use. Blaze and Brim retained their usual short-swords and hatchets.

"What's this thing?" Xally began swatting at the air to her upper left.

Pith didn't see anything, but in the upper left of his own vision, he noticed a little green bar floating there. "Do you mean the green bar?"

"Yea!"

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Brimstone's eyes grew wide. "Th-that's an HP bar! Do you guys know what this means!?"

"No…"

"Guys! We're in a video game!" The male pyro exclaimed excitedly.

"No way!"

"This is awesome!"

Glacies calmed them down. "Guys… calm down. We need to figure out where we are and what's going on in this world. There's a town over there. Come on…"

* * *

Glacies watched the people around and figure out how to do certain things, such as open the game menu; all they had do was swing their right hand down.

It was Justin who found the answers they were looking for. There was a guidebook and, with a little reading, they discovered the horrible truth about this world.

Two years before, a bunch of people logged on to this game called, 'Sword Art Online'. However, none of them could log out. Now, if they die in the game, they die in real life; the only way to get out was to clear the game.

The floor of the floating castle of Aincrad that they were on was floor 74. The group decided to stay the night in the town of Kamdet. There was a cheap inn, so they all rented a room for the night.

* * *

Patria sat near the entrance to the inn, using a stone to sharpen her rapier. The others came outside, just as a crowd began to gather near the center of town.

"What's going on?"

"How should I know?" The girl jumped to her feet. "Why don't we go see?" Pushing their way through the crowd, they saw three figures standing in the clearing.

One was a girl with orange/chestnut-brown hair and hazel eyes, dressed in a red and white uniform. A second was a man with long black hair, pulled into a ponytail, dressed in a similar uniform as the girl. The third, a boy with black hair, dressed in all black, stood facing the man.

A countdown appeared above and between the two males, both of them drawing their swords. "I will show you that I am the only one who can protect you."

"Kirito's dueling a guy from the Knights of the Blood Oath," a bystander commented.

"This'll be good."

"What's going on?" Asked Justin.

One of the bystanders replied. "Kirito and that other guy are having a duel."

The countdown between the two combatants ended and the duel began. The man charged at the boy, but with one stroke, the boy broke his opponent's sword.

The man fell to his knees, dropping his broken weapon. The boy lowered his sword and sighed. "If you want to try again with another weapon, I'd be happy to oblige."

The man went to his inventory and brought out a dagger, but as he turned to attack, the girl knocked the dagger out of his hand. "Madam…!?"

"Kuradeel," the girl said in a calm voice. "I relieve you from your duties as my bodyguard. You will return to headquarters immediately."

Kuradeel growled, but did as he was told. Going to the teleport platform, he huffed. "Teleport… Granzam…" With that, he vanished.

"He just broke his sword, in one attack." Brimstone gaped. "That was amazing!"

The crowd began to disperse. The boy and girl from the duel spoke for a moment before walking away towards a path out of town.

"Let's go after them. Those two look like someone I would like to hang out with." Patria jogged after the two, with the others behind her. "Hey!"

The two stopped. "What do you want?"

"We saw your duel with that other guy." Glacies nodded. "Do you mind if we join you, since we don't know our way around here?"

The boy moved to refuse, but the girl stayed him. "I wouldn't mind."

"What are your levels?" They opened their game menus and let him look. "Not bad." He held out his hand to Glacies. "I'm Kirito and this is 'Lightning Flash' Asuna of the Knights of the Blood Oath."

Asuna opened up her game menu and, soon, a small screen appeared before each of them. "You want us to join your party?"

"Asuna, I don't think…"

"Come on, Kirito," Asuna pushed him playfully. "The more the merrier."

The group pressed the accept button; up by their HP bars, appeared those of all the others in their party. Xally noticed, by the HP bars of all her friends, there was the same heart symbol that they each wore on their clothes. "So you are all in your own guild?"

"Uh, yea…"

"What the name of your guild?"

Hikari spoke before any of the others could say a word. "Kingdom Hearts… the Kingdom Hearts guild."

"Kingdom Hearts huh? Cool name."

"So, you guys want to head to the dungeon? We might even find the boss room, if we get far enough." Kirito motioned for them to follow.

* * *

Patria rather liked this world; she could just go into the dungeon and fight as many monsters as she wished. It took some of the others a little time to get used to using traditional weapons, in place of their Keyblades, especially the duel wielders.

The monsters in the dungeon were difficult to fight. Yuyake observed Hikari; the little girl didn't seem to put up much of a fight. She seemed a little depressed.

* * *

Kirito looked down at his map. "Looks like we've only got a little ways to go." They looked up to see a huge pair of doors.

"Kirito, you think this is the boss room?"

"Probably, Pith," the swordsman responded.

"Should we… should we take a look inside?" Asuna rubbed her arm.

The black-haired boy sighed. "Probably, but we better have some teleport crystals ready." Handing each of them a square, blue crystal, they approached the door.

"You ready?" Brimstone looked at the others. It was simple to tell he was itching for another fight. With a great heave, the group pushed the door open.

Darkness filled the room before them and they all took a couple, careful steps inside. Suddenly, torches lit up, with blue flames, all around the room.

"Oh… crud…"

Even Patria seemed afraid of what was before her. A giant blue monster, with the horns of a ram and tail which resembled a cobra. It held a humongous sword. Four HP bars appeared under it's name, 'Gleam Eyes'.

"D-do we have to take it on n-now?"

The Gleam Eyes roared and the party turned and ran for the exit. They didn't stop until they were inside the dungeon's safe zone.

"Oh mys gosh…" Justin huffed. "That boss will be hard…"

"You don't say!"

Asuna collapsed against a wall. "We're going to need to deploy tanks and keep switching out just to wear it's HP down."

"If that…" Glacies huffed. "Well, we've certainly done a lot of work today. We should take a break."

Everyone plopped down on the ground. "Sorry, you guys." Asuna smiled sheepishly. " I didn't expect us to have extra people, so I didn't bring enough food for everyone."

"Don't worry." Xally giggled. "I came prepared. I decided to buy some food in town, just in case." She opened her game menu and then her item storage. It took only a moment for her to bring out some bread, meat, and drinks.

Yuyake watched Hikari; the girl hadn't eaten a thing. "Kari, can I talk with you?" The girl nodded and followed the boy about ten feet away. "You seem depressed, you wanna tell me why?"

"Well… I-its… today's the anniversary of when my dd adopted me. I-I miss him. I don't want to lose Daddy. I'm so scared I'll never see him again. I-I-I…" She broke down and began crying.

Yuyake pulled her into his arms. "I know… I miss my parents too. It's ok… we'll find them. I promise, you will see your dad again."

"Wh-what if I die? I'm the smallest here and I'm the weakest out of all of us. I've got the greatest chance of being killed…" She whimpered.

"No!" The older boy gripped her shoulders. "Don't you dare think like that! Look at me! You will not die; if I have to, I will stick with you, just to make sure you're safe."

The little girl looked up at him. "Why do you care? Before we started this whole adventure, you and I maybe met once."

Yuyake patted her head, "I've got a soft spot for kids. I teach younger kids parkor and I always keep my eyes on them, just to make sure they're safe and doing well. You are no exception."

"Well," Hikari smiled, "Thank you, I guess. I still miss my daddy."

"I know." He pulled her into a hug. Wiping the tears from the 9-year-old's face, he smiled. "Now, why don't we get back to the others; that bread may be digital, but it's still good." His smile widened as he saw the bright smile appear on Hikari's face.

The others looked up as the two came back. "Did you two have a good talk?"

"Yep, now give us some food!"

The two got a few bites in before the safe zone warp gate activated. Everyone jumped to their feet as six guys came into the area; all wore red clothing and a man with red hair led them. They looked exhausted.

The leader stopped and looked up. "Hey! Kirito!" His eyes lit up.

Said swordsman averted his eyes with a sigh. "Hey Klein."

"Man, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Klein chuckled. "Hey, wait! You're a solo player; what are you doing with… a bunch of girls?"

Pith rolled his eyes. "Yes, ignore the other guys and just point out the girls."

"Oh, well you've never met most of these guys," Kirito looked at his party members. "These guys are Glacies, Patria, Hikari, Xally, Blaze, Pith, Justin, Yuyake, Ryô, and Brimstone of the Kingdom Hearts guild. Also, this is Asuna of the Knights of the Blood Oath. I'm pretty sure you two met before at one of the boss raids. Guys, this is Klein of the Fuurinkazan guild." Klein stood stock still, mouth open. "Hey, what's wrong? You lagging or something?"

The red-haired man bowed his head and stuck out his hand. "Hi! I'm Klein! I'm twenty four and single and…"

Suddenly, Kirito drove his fist into the other man's stomach, knocking him flat. "BOSS!" The other members of Klein's guild, surrounded the swordsman in black. Their faces went from angry to excited. "Whoa! Are you really that Asuna!?"

The boys made a barricade as the Fuurinkazan guild began throwing question after question at the orange-haired girl. Her black-haired friend smiled back at her. "Don't worry, these guys are ok. I don't know about Klein though." He tensed as said samurai stepped on his foot. "What the heck!?"

"That's payback, you weasel." The boys froze as Asuna and the other girls began laughing. The other guild pulled all the guys into a huddle. "What's going on?"

"Excuse me." Glacies giggled. "We're all with Kirito because we're all in a party together."

The members of the Fuurinkazan guild looked in shock at Kririto. It seemed that this boy was usually a total solo player. They all paused, once again, as some more players entered the safe zone.

They all wore matching armor and helmets that covered their entire faces, save their mouths and nose. All the men looked completely exhausted. The leader turned around. "Take a break, men!" The soldiers collapsed to the ground.

"Who are these bozos?"

"It looks like they're from the large guild that runs floor one…"

Asuna nodded. "I haven't seen them on the front lines in a while."

The leader strode up to the group. "My name is Kobatz of the Aincrad Liberation Army."

"I'm Kirito: solo."

"Sure you are…" Kobatz grunted. "Have you cleared the area up ahead?"

Brimstone crossed his arms. "Sure did, all the way up to the boss room."

"That's fine, now hand over your map."

"WHAT!?"

"Why should we hand it over?" Klein growled. "Do you know how much of a pain in the butt mapping is?"

The army man's volume increased. "WE SHARE OUR INFORMATION WITH CIVILIAN PLAYERS AND WE DON'T CHARGE A THING! WE'RE HERE TO PROVIDE PEACE IN THE CHAOS OF BATTLE!"

"Chill out dude." Ry took a step forward. "There is no need to shout. I'm sure there's a way we can work this out."

"There is," Kirito stood beside Ry. "I'll give you the map."

Blaze huffed. "Don't just give it to him!"

"It's ok. When we got back, I was going to go public with the map anyway." The black swordsman waved a hand.

"Thank you for your contribution."

As Kobatz trumped away, Patria called after him. "If you're planning to hit the boss room, I wouldn't recommend it."

"That's my decision to make."

"Hey!" Justin yelled. "We just took a look inside that room. You can't beat him when your troops are half-dead!"

"NONSENSE!" The soldier turned to his men. "MY MEN ARE TOUGH! THEY WON'T QUIT UNLESS I SAY SO! ON YOUR FEET, MEN!" The other members of the Aincrad Liberation army stumbled to their feet and followed Kobatz out of the safe zone.

"Should we go after them?" Ry asked.

Klein scratched his head. "Well, I bet they know what they're doing. They wouldn't be stupid enough to just rush the boss."

"All the same," Kirito looked at them. "We should go after them…"

* * *

The group fought through the dungeon, towards the boss room. Hikari stuck close to Yuyake and seemed to be doing much better.

As they destroyed the last monster. Pith rolled his neck. "That's the last one. Only the boss is left."

"Huh, well maybe those losers got smart and decided to teleport out." Brim's words fell apart as a scream of pain and terror racked the air.

They all ran to the boss room and saw the soldiers, around the Gleam Eyes. Most of their HP bars were in the yellow. Kobatz pointed his sword at the monster. "KEEP ON HIM MEN! WE'RE THE AINCRAD LIBERATION ARMY AND WE NEVER GIVE UP!" His next words never came as the Gleam Eyes swung it's sword and knocked the commander back to the room doors.

"Kobatz!" Hikari ran to the man's side as his helmet dissipated. "Hang in there…

The commander's eyes went wide as his HP bar depleted all the way. "I-I can't believe it…" His body glowed for a moment, and then burst into a million digital fragments.

The little girl gasped in horror. He died… Kobatz just died… somewhere, on some other world, his gaming helmet was frying his brain.

The young Keybearer began to sob, profusely. The screams of the other army men filling her ears, as well as the cries of her friends, telling the men to escape while they could.

"I-I won't let this happen…" Without a seconds delay, Hikari drew out her broadsword and ran into the boss room.

"KARI!"

Asuna followed the little girl; Hikari stood over the fallen soldiers and blocked the Gleam Eye's sword as it came down, while Asuna stabbed it in the back with her rapier.

It didn't take long for all the others to join in the fray. Some carried the wounded to safety.

Even with the combined strength, the Gleam Eye still knocked everyone's health down to the yellow in only a few moves.

"This guy is impossible!"

"If we don't finish this, it'll kill all of Kobatz' men!"

Kirito's voice, filled with determination, rang out. "Guys, keep him off me. I need ten seconds."

"Right!"

Everyone got to their feet and charged, only to be knocked back and their health depleted to the lower yellow and the red.

Hikari used a healing crystal just as Kirito ran past her. The boy reached with his free hand, to his back and, out of nowhere, an aqua colored sword appeared.

Everyone stared in shock at the duel-wielding boy. He slashed at the Gleam Eyes, faster and faster; the monster got some hits in as well.

"He's gonna get himself killed!" The youngest girl dropped her broadsword and charged the monster. Her Keyblade appeared in her hand as she cried. "Kirito! Duck!"

The boy drove his sword into the monster, as Hikari blocked the beast's sword. A moment of pained silence hung in the air before the Gleam Eyes vanished in a bunch of tiny pieces.

A large 'Congratulations' hung suspended in the air. Kirito and Hikari collapsed.

* * *

The little girl blinked as her vision cleared. Yuyake knelt over her, smiling in relief at her awakening.

"I-is everyone alright?"

"We lost Kobatz and two of his men…" Klein sighed.

Asuna helped Kirito sit up, before hugging him. "We haven't lost a player in a boss raid, since floor 67."

"That wasn't a boss raid, that was suicide! Kobatz was a fool!"

"Anyways," Klein glared down at his friend. "You're not off the hook either, what the heck did you do just now?"

"I don't think you want to know…"

The scruffy, red-haired man, huffed. "Oh come one, I've never seen anything close to that!"

"It's an extra skill I picked up," the boy averted his eyes, "Duel-wielding…"

The SAO players gasped. "Whoa! How'd you get it? Are their prerequisites?"

"If I knew, I would've shared them already…"

Klein stared for a moment before turning to Hikari. "And where the heck did you get that sword, and what kind of sword is that!?"

"Well…" she paused as a Keyhole appeared overhead. The girl pointed her blade upwards and withdrew the lock piece. "Glacies, should I…?"

"I'll do it."

"Do what?"

Glacies sighed. "We weren't supposed to tell you this, but you have a right to know… We didn't log into SAO the same way and time that all of you did. We were logged on from an outside source." She opened her game menu and showed them the one button that none had: the 'log out' button. "And we can leave whenever we want…"

"You can… how?"

Xally rubbed her arms, nervously. "All of you used the helmets with your video game system to long in, whereby, your mind was transported into the game. We were digitized and our body, heart, and mind are all inside the game. The game does not control us."

The gamers stared at them in shock. "Wow… that makes a lot of sense…"

"So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to help us clear the game?"

Hikari clutched the lock piece, close to her heart. "I'm sorry, but we have to go. There are lives at risk, that only we can save."

"We understand," Kirito helped Asuna up, but she still clung to him. "Well, we thank you for your help; this battle would've been a lot harder without your assistance."

"I hope you guys succeed." Asuna smiled, slightly.

"You too…" Glacies gave a comforting smile. "Just so you know, I feel, that if anyone can beat this death-game, it's you two: Kirito, Asuna."

"Thank you…"

* * *

All the Keybearers watched as the gamers moved on to the next floor. "I hope they make it…"

"They will, I just know it."

They all opened their game menus and pressed the 'log out' button.

Everyone blinked as Tron's world materialized around them. However, instead of Tron greeting them, a female program with a purple and black suit and black hair.

She turned and smiled, green eyes shining. "Hello, I am Nightshade, backup security program for the Radiant Garden OS system. Tron had to oversee maintenance on a firewall, in another sector."

"Night!" a man with dirty blonde hair, and a long white coat, entered the room. "The mainframe connection is frayed again."

"Ok, Myde, I'll be right there."

Brimstone grinned. "Hey Myde, what's up!?"

"Huh, oh you!" The former Melodious Nocturne cocked his head. "I heard you guys had a mission, I didn't think I'd see you, though."

"What are you doing here?"

The man grinned. "I live in here, now. Nightshade and I are married!"

The children all laughed. "How the heck did you ever get a wife?"

"Excuse you," Nightshade and Myde both glared at them.

"Sorry, it's just, after all we've heard about him, it's surprising."

The program placed her hands on her hips. "Well, then change your perspective. I'll send you back to the user world now…"

"Oh, by the way, Myde. You still owe rent at the castle."

"Gah!"

* * *

Ansem and Sasuke watched as Pith came inside the study. "Uncle Ansem, you wanted to see me…"

"Yes, take a seat." The two men looked at each other and then at the boy. "We need you to do us a favor. We need you to keep an eye on your sister. She's showed signs of a strong darkness, but I want you to make sure she doesn't lose control. If there is any sign that the darkness is taking over her, turn the ship around and bring her back here."

"I understand…" Pith felt bad about spying on his sister, but if her darkness was really that strong, this was the best option.

* * *

"Don' go! I wanna come too!" Ignis struggled against Sasuke's hold.

Glacies kissed her brother's forehead. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Pith looked back at his godfather and smiled. "Bye! We'll be back soon!"

After a few goodbyes, the children took off in their gummi ship, once again.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this one!**

**SAO is one of my favorite shows.**

**Just letting you guys know, Yami and I are going to be writing a story called "Radiant Garden Renegades". I don't know who's profile we'll be posting it on yet, but I'll let you know.**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Next time…**

**The group ends up on a world overrun by monster, and they team up with a group of girls in their first year at a combat school.**

**In… World of Remnant**

* * *

**Loneliness**

I've gone off to college, and I'm seven hours from everything I've known for the last seven years.

Some might say it's natural to feel alone; you're in a place full of strangers and so far away from your family.

To be honest, this is a hard thing for me to deal with, like I know it is for other people as well.

However, all we need do is turn to God and ask him to help us through the loneliness.

He will bring the right people to you, to give you a friend, and He will always be there for you.

1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Give God your loneliness and He will bring you comfort.


	16. Chapter 15: World of Remnant

**Hey guys!**

**I hope you guys enjoy this one!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**RWBY (c) to Rooster Teeth**

**My OCs (c) to Me**

**Sasuke (c) to Yamichaos27!**

* * *

**Chapter 15: World of Remnant**

* * *

Yuyake yawned, smiling as he noticed Hikari leaning on him, asleep.

"She really likes you." Pith pointed out. "She told me that she always wanted a big brother. That's why she stuck close to me, but I think she's putting you in that position."

"Well, I've always wanted a little sister as well." He patted the younger girl's head.

"Hey guys!" Xally called out. "I've found another lock piece!"

The boys nodded. "I'll get the others." Pith jumped up and went to find them.

Yuyake, lightly, shook Hikari. "Kari, wake up…" She stirred, but didn't awaken. "Hey… wake up sis."

That got her attention. "Huh… what…" the little girl opened her eyes. "Yake, what's going on?"

"We're at another world."

"Ok…" she yawned. "Did you call me sis?"

"Yea I did, sis."

He watched as her eyes began to shine and a brilliant smile appeared on her face.

* * *

The group appeared in a town; streamers hung from the buildings. Banners hung in the air, bearing the words 'Welcome to Vale'.

"Hey, check that out." Ryô pointed. A group of people stood nearby, each of them had some sort of animal characteristic, such as cat ears, small deer antlers, rabbit ears, claws, or tails.

A human pushed past one of the animal-like people, and growled. "Filthy Faunus."

"That was rude…" Xally huffed. Just because they have animal features doesn't make them filthy."

The person who made the comment paused, turning to the group. "Faunus loving freaks! How dare you care about those animals rather than your own kind!" With that, the man stormed away.

"How dare us? How dare he treat others poorly just because they're not like him."

They all nodded in agreement before continuing on. Yuyake held Hikari's hand as they looked around at all the decorations. "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

A white-haired girl in a glittering white dress with a sword at her side, glared at them. Hikari looked down. "Sorry about that."

"You should be!"

"Weiss, be nice." A girl with billowing blonde hair, stood nearby, alongside a black-haired girl with a bow on her head, and a smaller girl with black and red hair. The blonde grinned at the group, specifically at Yuyake. "Hey there, I'm Yang."

The group introduced themselves; the girl with the bow nodded. "I'm Blake."

"And my name's Ruby!" The smallest girl cheered.

"So," Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Are you here for the tournament?"

Patria grinned. "No, but that sounds epic."

"I have to ask, what's with all the decorations?"

Weiss looked offended. "How do you not know of the Vytal Festival?! It's a festival to celebrate the cultures of the world! All the kingdoms will be congregating here; there will be dances, parades, a tournament! Oh the amount of organization and planning that goes into something like this is simply astounding!"

"Wow…" Brim raised an eyebrow. "You know how to make something so cool sound so boring."

"That's what I said!" Yang exclaimed before winking at the pyro.

"So, how do you know one another?" Glacies looked between the four girls.

"And where are you guys going?"

Blake placed her hands on her hips. "We're all on the same team at Beacon Academy: Team RWBY. We're heading to the docks, why I don't know."

"Well, I heard that students from Vacuo are arriving by boat, this morning. As a representative of Beacon, I feel it is my sworn duty to welcome them to Vale." The white-haired girl stuck her nose in the air.

Patria crossed her arms. "Sounds like you just want to spy on the competition for the tournament."

"You can't prove that!"

"Mind if we come with?" Blaze asked.

The four shook their heads.

As they approached the docks, they heard a scream. "What's going on?"

The Keybearers rushed forward to see a hoard of Heartless, along with Pete and Pistol, attacking the citizens.

"What are those things?"

"Heartless." Justin summoned his Keyblade and charged in. Glacies took a few steps back and froze.

As Ry went to attack a Large Body, a gun fired and the Heartless flew back; a blur of red shot past the boy and something sliced the Heartless in half.

"Ruby!" The small girl held a giant scythe that was twice her size.

A couple Soldiers were blown away by Yang's wrist gauntlets, which fired exploding shells.

Weiss rotated a chamber at the base of her blade and she froze a number of monsters in ice.

Blake pulled out a pistol and threw it, a wire attached to the gun, turning it into a whip. When it returned, she attached to the sword on her back and pulled it out.

"I like these guys!" Yuyake admitted.

"Doh! How come youse guys always get some new help!?"

"Yea!" Pistol huffed. "So not even right!"

Yang turned to the group. "So, who are these clowns?"

"Meet Pete and his youngest brat." Patria smirked.

"Who you calling a brat!?"

They heard a gun cock behind them and Yang launched a shell at the two cats, blasting them back, into the harbor. "Blah, blah, blah!"

"Yang, you are amazing!" Brimstone winked at her; the blonde winked back.

"Well, that was interesting," Blake looked to Glacies. "Hey, why didn't you help out?"

The Keyblade Master blanched. "Well, I…" Her eyes darted around, looking for some way out of the question. "Hey, what's that?"

"Oh, we are not falling for tha…"

"Actually there is something there." Xally commented, pointing down a street. A shop lay at the end of the street, with the window shattered and police tape covering the front.

"A Dust shop robbery?"

"Dust?" Hikari cocked her head. "As is dirt?"

Weiss seemed greatly offended. "You mean you don't know what Dust is? Dust is the greatest energy source in Remnant! We use it in weapons, she held up her rapier, and showed the chamber at the bottom. "Fire, Ice, Water, Wind, Lightning, Lava, Energy!"

"Ok, ok we get it! Dust is very important!" Pith held up his hands.

They approached the Dust shop and Justin tapped one of the police detectives. "What happened here."

"Robbery… second Dust shop hit this week"

The second detective came out of the shop. "They left all the money again…"

"Who needs that much dust?"

"You thinking the White Fang?"

"Yea, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough."

Ryô looked at the four girls. "What's the White Fang?"

"The White Fang… a bunch of Faunus degenerates." Weiss spat.

"I wouldn't go that far." Blake cut in, calmly, but with a hint of disdain in her voice. "The White Fang is far from a terrorist organization. They're a group of misguided Faunus."

The heiress grit her teeth. "You do realize that you're defending an organization that hates humanity and wants to wipe humans off the face of Remnant?"

"So then they're VERY misguided!"

"Hmph!" the white-haired girl crossed her arms. "That doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to cheat, lie, and steal!"

Sora's daughter grabbed the heiress by her jacket. "Listen here, princess! I may not know much about this world, but I can easily figure out that you're being EXTREMELY discriminatory. I'm certain not every Faunus is evil, you should just give them a chance."

"HEY STOP THAT FAUNUS!"

The group ran to the dock and saw a young Faunus, with blonde hair, a white shirt exposing his muscular chest, and a monkey tail, came running from a boat.

"Thanks for the ride, guys!" He climbed up a light pole and hung from it by his tail.

"You no-good stowaway!"

"Hey," the Faunus began peeling a banana. "A no-good stowaway would've been caught. I'm a great stowaway!"

One of the policemen from the Dust shop came over to the young monkey-tailed man. "Hey! Get down from there." The only response he got, was a banana peel in his face.

Doing a flip, the Faunus leapt into the crowd and ran with the police after him. As he ran past the group he turned to look at them; Blaze could've sworn she saw him wink at Blake.

"Well, Weiss," Pith gestured to the fleeing stowaway. "You wanted to see the tournament competition, and there is goes…"

"Quick! We have to observe him!" Running after them, the group rounded a corner and stopped as the white-haired girl slammed into another girl. Weiss looked up and saw the Faunus jump out of sight. "No! He got away!"

"Um… Weiss…" Yuyake jabs a finger at the girl that heiress ran in to.

The orange-haired girl, dressed in green and tan, smiled up at them from the ground. "Ah!" Weiss jumped to her feet.

"Salutations!" The girl continued to lay on the ground, grinning joyfully.

"Are you ok?"

"Oh, I'm doing wonderful! Thank you for asking!" She still lay on the ground.

Yuyake bit his lip. "Um, do you want to get up?"

The girl paused for a moment, thinking on the question. "Yes!" She jumped to her feet and the group took a step back from her. "I'm Penny; it's a pleasure to meet you!"

After the introductions, Patria wave her hand. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Penny. Bye, bye."

"Take care, friend!" Ruby called to the strange girl, as they left.

Brim picked at his coat sleeve. "She was weird…"

"Yes," Weiss agreed before she snapped. "Now, where'd that Faunus riffraff get to?"

"What did you call me?" Suddenly, Penny stood in front of them.

"WHERE…? WHAT…? I didn't mean…"

"Not you," the strange girl got in Ruby's face. "YOU." As the scythe-wielder stammered for words, Penny grinned. "You called me friend. Am I really your friend?"

"Of course!" Hikari giggled, much to the discomfort of the others.

"All right! We can have try on clothes, paint our nails, and talk about cute boys!"

Patria coughed to cover up her words. "*cough*freak*cough*."

Pith glared at his twin before giving Penny a gentle smile. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to fight in the tournament!"

"You!?"

The girl saluted. "I'm combat ready!"

"Wait!" the white-haired girl got in Penny's face. "If you're fighting in the tournament, then you must know that rapscallion."

"Huh?"

"THE FILTHY FAUNUS FROM THE BOAT!"

"STOP CALLING HIM THAT!" Blake stomped up to her teammate.

Weiss seemed confused. "What?"

"Stop calling him a rapscallion; stop calling him a degenerate!" The bow-wearing girl growled. "He's a person!"

The heiress spat back. "Oh, I'm sorry. Should I stop referring the trash can as a trash can, or this lamppost as a lamppost?"

"STOP IT!"

"Weiss!" Justin snapped. "That was too far! He's not some kind of creature."

"You don't know anything. Give him time, he'll probably join up with those other _Faunus_ in the White Fang." She said the word "Faunus" as if it was the name of some sort of insult.

Blake grit her teeth. "YOU IGNORANT LITTLE BRAT!"

"HOW DARE YOU!"

The two began arguing and it got more heated by the second. "Maybe we should get them back to this school you guys live at…"

"Good idea."

* * *

They continued to watch the two girls argue as they stood in team RWBY's room.

"This is going to end badly," Xally observed.

The heiress crossed her arms. "I don't see what the problem it."

"That is the problem!" Blake clenched her fists. "It's because of people like Cardin, people like YOU who force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

"People like me!"

"You're discriminatory!"

"I'm a victim!" Weiss choked out, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Do you know why I despise the White Fang; why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War: as in actual bloodshed. As long I can remember, my grandfather's company has had a target painted across it's back. I've watched family members disappear, board members executed, an entire train car of dust stolen."

Pith went over to the distraught girl, placing his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. "Weiss…"

"No!" She pulled away and advanced on the bow-wearing girl. "The White Fang are nothing but liars, thieves, and MURDERERS!"

"WELL MAYBE WE WERE JUST TIRED OF BEING PUSHED AROUND!" Blake froze, noticing what she just said. All eyes widened and stared at the girl. She backed away and made a break for the door.

"Blake!"

"Wait!"

Hikari grabbed Yuyake's hand. "Let's go after her."

"Yea." The two rushed down the hall, after Blake.

Patria turned on the white-haired girl. "What the heck was that!?"

"Hmph…" the girl merely grabbed her pajamas from her bed and went into the bathroom to change.

"What should we do?"

Glacies sighed. "If we all go after Blake, it might frighten her, so we should probably give her some space and let Yake and Kari help her. Maybe we can help Weiss as well."

"So we're sticking around here, then."

Ruby got up on her bed and curled up, saddened by what had transpired. "Yang," Brim said, quietly, "Is there a guest room anywhere?"

"You can stay in here." The boys gave her a weird look. "Some of the teams here at the school are made up of girls and guys, and they share a room. You guys will be fine." She cocked her gauntlet and shoved it in Brimstone's face. "But if you try anything…"

"We won't…!"

* * *

Yuyake and Hikari followed Blake out to the courtyard; the girl stood in front of the statue that stood in the center of the lawn. She reached up and undid her bow.

"That explains it…" The boy gave a sad smile. "She's a Faunus."

Under Blake's bow, two cat ears stuck up through her hair. Hikari approached her. "Blake…" the Faunus girl turned, startled. "I think your kitty ears are kinda cute."

"Thanks…" Blake wiped a tear from her eye, smiling as Yuyake approached, a comforting smile across his face.

A new voice called out behind the trio. "I knew you'd look better without the bow." Behind them stood the monkey-tailed Faunus from the docks.

"Who are you?"

"The name's Sun." He answered, "And who are you three?"

"Blake…"

"I'm Yuyake, and this is Hikari."

Sun looked suspiciously at the two humans, but said nothing. "Hey, Blake, wanna come with?"

Her yellow eyes averted, she responded, curtly. "Not without these two."

"Ok, try and keep up!" With that, he dashed off, and the three followed.

* * *

Patria kept her glare on Weiss; two days had passed since Blake's disappearance. They got a message from Yuyake, that she was alright and that they were with her.

The rest of the group spent their time, trying to find Blake and hanging around Beacon Academy.

Today, the entire group, plus the remaining team RWBY members, were in town to search for Blake.

"BLAKE!"

"BLAKE!"

The only one not trying hard, was Weiss. Patria quickened her pace and stopped in front of the heiress. "Weiss! You're not helping at all!"

"Oh you know who could help," the white-haired girl snapped back, "the police." Patria snarled, gearing up to punch the girl before her. "It was just an idea!"

"Yea, a bad one!"

Ry stepped in between them. "Girls, calm down. We've got to focus on finding Blake."

"When we find her, you will all see that I was right."

"And I think Weiss's hair looks beautiful today." A new voice cut in.

They all jumped and turned to see the girl from two days before. "Penny! What are you doing here?"

"Hey guys!" The strange girl waved. "What are you doing?"

Blaze huffed. "We're looking for Blake."

"Oh, you mean the Faunus girl."

"How did you know?" Xally cocked her head.

Penny blinked. "Uh, the cat ears."

"Blake doesn't have cat ears she has a… bow…" They all paused as the realization set in.

"So," Penny smiled, "Where is she?"

"Don't know, she's been missing for two days." Ruby sighed.

The orange-haired girl gasped and gripped Ruby's shoulders. "Don't worry Ruby-my-friend! I won't rest until we find your teammate!"

"Uh," Pith held up a hand. "I think we're good, right guys?" He and Ruby looked around to see that the others had left them. "Great…"

* * *

Blake, Yuyake, Hikari, and Sun sat together at a cafe; the little girl leaned, sleepily, on her friend's shoulder. They'd been sleeping in abandoned buildings for the last two nights and Hikari hadn't slept much.

The Faunus girl sighed. "So, you want to know more about me?"

"Finally, she speaks!" Sun exclaimed. "For the last two days you've given me nothing but small-talk and weird looks… yea, like that."

Yuyake sighed. "Go ahead, Blake."

"Sun," she began, "Have you heard about the White Fang?"

"Of course. What Faunus hasn't heard of them; stupid holier-than-thou freaks who use force to get what they want."

"I was once a member of the White Fang." Blake set down her tea.

This brought Hikari into wakefulness, and Sun spit his tea back into the cup, in surprise. "What!?"

"Yes, I was a member for most of my life. You could almost say I was born into it." The cat-eared girl clenched her fists. "Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace between humans and Faunus. But, despite being promised equality, we were still treated as lesser beings."

"That's so sad…" Hikari looked down.

Blake kept her eyes fixed down wards, as she spoke. "The White Fang rose up, as the voice of our people, and I was there; I was at the front of every rally, I took part in every boycott, and I actually thought we were making a difference. But, I was just a youthful optimist." Her grip on her cup tightened. "Five years ago, our leader stepped down, and a new one took his place, this time with a different approach. Soon, our peaceful protests were replaced with organized attacked. We burned shops that refused to serve us, stole from companies who used Faunus labor, and the worst part was, it was working. We were being treated as equals, but now out of respect, out of fear."

Yuyake crossed his arms. This world had a huge problem and now they were in the thick of it. "That really is sad…"

"So, I left. I decided I didn't want to use my abilities to hurt others, so I dedicated my life to being a huntress. So, here I am, a criminal hiding in plain sight, all with the help with a little black bow."

"Wow…" the black-haired Keybearer folded his hands. "That's quite the story."

Hikari nodded. "And you don't think that the White Fang is behind these Dust robberies?"

"No," she shook her head. "They've never needed that much Dust before."

Sun breathed a deep sigh. "Well, the only way to prove they didn't do it, it to go to the place where they would go if they were doing it, and not find them there."

"Wanna run that by me again?" Kari asked.

Yuyake patted her head. "I'll explain later. So, Blake, any idea where we might be able to look?"

"No," she shook her head. "I have no idea…"

"I might," Sun leaned back in his chair. "When I was on the boat, I heard two guys talking about unloading a huge Dust shipment."

"How huge?"

"HUUGGGEEE! Big Schnee company freighter." The male Faunus grinned.

Yuyake nodded. "Well then, we have our heading!"

* * *

Patria narrowed her eyes. Everyone was calling for Blake, except for Weiss. "You really don't care if we find her, do you?"

"Of course I do!" The heiress snapped. "I'm just scared of what she'll say when we find her."

"Hey, who's that?"

They all saw where Yang pointed. A blue-skinned, blonde-haired, pointed-ear woman, with a very short shirt and a split skirt, both of which were a light blue, under the skirt were shorts and a matching sash over her chest. Armor covered her lower arms, boots, and a silver head-gear adorned her head.

"I don't know…"

"Hang on!" Ryô cried out. "I recognize her!" He approached the girl, and smiled as she turned to him, yellow-green eyes shimmering. "Lyla… is that you?"

She cocked her head and blinked. A smile appearing on her face. "Ryô, that can't be you!"

"Ry, how do you know her?"

He nodded. "Remember, my grandparents rule the world Tech Town. The population of that world are human and elf. Lyla here is one of royal guards, in training." His smile widened. "When I would visit, as a child, Lyla here was my personal bodyguard."

"Yes I was," she replied in a sweet voice. "But, I guess you haven't heard. I was banished from the guard, because I disobeyed a direct order from your grandfather." This caught the boy's attention. "He wouldn't let me go take my revenge on the people who tortured my sister."

Ry scratched the back of his head. "I mean, my grandfather probably had a good reason… revenge is a road to darkness and there's a fine line between that and justi…"

"That's exactly what he said." Lyla looked extremely hurt.

"I don't mean…"

She pulled a silver longbow off her back. "I know you don't, but I did not come here to talk." An arrow made of light, appeared in her hand. "After you defeated Jazzy and Rodia, my mistress wanted to make sure I brought back at least one of you."

She fired a light arrow, which bent around Ryô and wrapped him in a cord. "You're with them!?"

"My mistress looks for the hurt and angry." The elf summoned a dark corridor. "I was a perfect candidate."

A burst of flame severed the cord of light as Blaze landed a flame-covered punch on Lyla's cheek. "A perfect candidate for a practice dummy!"

"Why you…" The elf summoned another arrow. "I will skewer you on the end of my arrows and drag you back to my mistress. And, I will make sure you suffer!"

Ry jumped to his feet. "You're all talk! The Lyla I knew, was kind and didn't hurt others, unless absolutely necessary!"

"Well, she's gone!" She launched an arrow at him.

A white blur rushed past Ry and a number of glyphs appeared around the elf. The white blur bounced from glyph to glyph, slashing at Lyla with a weapon. The blur came to a halt, revealing it to be Weiss. "Look here, blueie, I'm not in a good mood and you're not helping. So, why don't you get out of here before I'm forced to vent all my anger on you."

"My lady would not wish me to retreat!" The elf glanced at the rapier in the heiress's hand, and the chamber transitioned to one full of Lava Dust. "However, she would not wish me to perish, either."

Ryô sighed as his old friend vanished into darkness. "What happened to you, Lyla?"

"I'm sorry, Ry." Brim patted his back.

"It's ok…"

* * *

Night had fallen; Blake, Yuyake, and Hikari lay atop a crate, watching the large Dust shipment, as it lay in the shipyard.

Sun jumped up beside them. "Anything?"

"They've unloaded all the crates, but now they're just sitting there."

"Maybe you're right, Blake," the little girl grinned. "The White Fang might not be behind this!"

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

Sun nodded and handed each of them an apple. "I stole you guys some food."

"Do you always break the law without a second thought?"

Sun looked down at his fellow Faunus. "Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" He bit his lip as she glared at him. "Ok… too soon."

"You think…"

They all froze as the sound of engines filled the air. An aircraft, similar to a helicopter landed in the center of the crates.

Out of the aircraft came figures in black and silver outfits, with masks covering their faces. On her back was a symbol: the red face of a snarling animal, with three claw marks slashing across the face.

"Is that them?"

The Faunus girl closed her eyes. "Yes…"

"You really didn't think it was them." Yuyake gave a sigh.

"No. I think, deep down, I knew it was them."

They all turned as they heard a new voice. "Could you hurry it up!?" A human, in a white coat, a bowler hat, with orange hair, and a cane. "We're not the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves here! So, how 'bout you animals pick up the pace."

"This isn't right." Blake stood to her feet. "The White Fang would never work with a human, especially one like that." Without another word, she leapt down to where the man and White Fang members were.

As the two Keybearers stood to join her, Sun stopped them. "Hang on. You two are human; you'll only complicate things."

"Ok… who is that guy?"

"That, Kari, I think, is Roman Torchwick." The Faunus scratched his head. "I saw a news story on him on the boat. He's a thief."

Yuyake stopped him. "Look!" Blake stood with her sword to Roman's throat.

The Faunus girl tore the bow off her head, showing her cat-ears. "Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum!?" The White Fang members lowered their weapons.

"Wh-ho-ho, slow down their little lady." Roman chuckled. "Haven't you heard, the White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture."

"What!?"

Yuyake, Sun, and Hikari didn't really know what happened next; suddenly, a giant explosion erupted from under Blake's feet, sending a billowing, black, cloud of smoke curling into the air.

* * *

Pith, Penny, and Ruby paused as an explosion filled the air. The three turned and saw the billowing cloud of smoke that covered up the stars.

"Oh no…"

* * *

Blake got up, after the explosion, and dashed away.

The bowler hat-wearing man, grit his teeth. "Here kitty, kitty…"

Sun threw his banana peel, hitting Roman in the head; Hikari jumped on him, shoving his hat over his eyes, and Yuyake kicked the man down.

"Leave her alone."

From out of the starry night, two more aircraft appeared, with more White Fang members leaping down, surrounding the three.

"You're not the brightest bananas in the bunch, are you kids?" Roman smirked, getting to his feet.

The Keybearers countered the swords of the attacking Faunus; Sun pulled out a red and yellow staff.

Hikari slipped past her attackers and ran at Roman Torchwick. The man held up his cane and fired a firework-like projectile at her. She blocked it and hit the man on the side.

Using his cane, the human twisted it around the girl's Keyblade and sent her into a spin, allowing him to grab her around the neck. "Well there, Sparkles, aren't you staying up a little late?"

"Let me go!" Her eyes lit up with a brilliant glow, throwing her assailant off.

Sun jumped over and separated his staff into two nunchaku, one side of which was a lever-action shotgun. He swung his weapons, firing the shotguns. Somehow, Roman was able to block the shots.

The two Keyblade wielders stood ready to fight, when a streak of light severed a chain, holding up a large crate; the crate dropped, making the four scatter.

Roman stood over Hikari, pointing his cane at her face. "Hey!" Standing atop another crate, Ruby, Penny, and Pith stared down at them.

"Well, Hello Red!" the hat-wearing thief waved mockingly. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Ruby, are these people your friends?"

Pith held up a hand. "Penny get back!"

A blast of energy threw the Keybearer and scythe-wielder across the room; Roman laughed. Penny narrowed her eyes. "Penny no!"

"Don't worry, friends. I'm combat ready!" Her backpack opened and several floating blades levitated out.

Pith sat up, and followed the girl down to the battle. As Yuyake and Hikari joined him, another streak of light landed in front of them. "What the!?"

"Look!" A blue-skinned elf held a silver bow, smirking down at them.

"So, you're the one my mistress mentioned…" the elf blinked her yellow-green eyes. "You are kind of cute?"

"Is she talking to me or you, Yake?"

"I don't know…"

The elf smirked, leaping into the air, an arrow on the string. The three jumped back; the duel-wielder, dismissed one of his blades. He drove the other into the ground, and waited until the elf came down. He swung himself around, landing a strong kick into her stomach.

He jumped up, drawing Great Tribulation out of the ground and pointed it at their attacker. "Who are you? What do you want?"

All he got was a grin, as an different arrow flew down from the sky, pinning the black-haired boy to the crate. "WHAT!?"

The elf vanished into a dark corridor, as did a mysterious figure, in a red cloak, standing atop another crate. Moments later, Roman Torchwick climbed into one of the aircraft. "These kids just keep getting weirder…" The craft took off.

* * *

The rest of the group, plus Weiss and Yang, approached those who sat, with the police pacing around.

The white-haired heiress came right up to Blake; the Faunus stood up. "Weiss, I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang…"

"Save it!" She huffed. "Do you know how long we've been searching for you…? Twelve hours. And, in that twelve hours, I've decided… I don't care. You said you weren't one of them anymore, right?"

"No, I haven't been one since…"

Weiss held up her hand. "Up-up-up, I don't want to hear it. All I want to know is, the next time something this big comes up, you'll come to your teammates, and not some-someone else."

"Whoa." Pith cocked his eyebrow at Glacies. "How did you guys get her to back down so fast?"

"Your twin may have had something to do with it."

"Glacies, is something wrong?" Hikari noticed a concerned crease on the girl's face.

She sighed. "I'll explain on the ship…"

The members of Team RWBY approached the Keyblade wielders. "Hey, thanks for all your help."

"No problem, it's what we d…" in the middle of the area where they fought before, the Keyhole appeared. Yuyake jumped to his feet and withdrew the lock piece.

"We're getting closer…"

* * *

"What's going on, Glace?"

The Keyblade Master crossed her arms. "It's just, we've had multiple encounters with these assassins, including the one with Lyla, and you three saw a second person in a red cloak, right?" Pith, Yuyake, and Hikari nodded. "These assassins aren't trying…"

"Huh?"

"Lyla barely put up a fight," Glacies crossed her arms. "The others didn't really fight much either. It more looked like they were testing us. I don't know what they really want, but we need to be cautious."

"Or we could just capture one and make them talk."

Xally grimaced. "Torture? That's a little too much."

"I agree, if we captured one of them, we should interrogate them," Brimstone nodded, "But, we shouldn't torture; that's going a bit far."

"Are you kidding me?"

Ryô narrowed his eyes. "Patria, I know you helped Weiss today, and we're all thankful for that, but you want to take this too far. Our parents fought against Xehanort and taught each and every one of us what a horrible man he was. If we employ torture as an interrogation method, we're no better than he is."

The girl sat silent for a moment before standing up. "Well, you guys don't seem to want to get efficient information…" She turned and moved towards the room exit.

"Where are you going?"

"All the stupid in the room is driving me crazy; so, I'm out!"

Pith watched his twin leave. "I'll go talk to her…" He jumped up and went after her. "Tria! Hang on!"

"What do you want?" The girl turned on her brother.

"That 'stupid' comment was unnecessary, as was the idea of torture."

She rolled her eyes. "Not you too…"

"Sis!" He grabbed her arm. "They're right. If you resort to torture, you're no better than Xehanort… and you'll be no better than Maleficent."

Pith had no time to react as his twin slammed him into the wall, her hand around his throat, and a dark glint in her eyes. "Don't you EVER compare me to her! If you ever say that I'm like her again, I WILL kill you…!" She shoved him to the ground and stormed away.

"Tria…?" The boy massaged his throat. His sister had always resorted to violence, but this was something entirely different. He would have to tell Sasuke and Uncle Ansem about this…

* * *

**I'm just gonna leave you here…**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Next time:**

_**The group returns to world visited many times, just in time to meet a vigilante, who's turned life upside down for this world. **_

_**In… Agrabah!**_

* * *

_**Lyla:**__ An elf from Ventus' homeworld, who used to be a guard in training who is now running with the assassin group._

* * *

**Revolution**

Did you know, we were born in a time of revolution? Not just a physical (maybe for some of you)but a spiritual one.

People all around us want us to "do this" or "try that", however you can't be what people want you to be, but you can be the person God wants you to be.

We have been called to go against the tide of the world and engage the world.

Jesus, in John 4:1,3-14,28-30 did this very thing.

_"Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—_

_So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee._

_4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon._

_7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)_

_9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."_

_11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?"_

_13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."_

_Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him."_

We must stand up and out about what we believe. For the world won't truly engage us, we have to engage them, because, when you engage a culture, you can change a culture.

Jesus was a Jew and they really weren't supposed to interact with the Samaritans, but he did it anyways, because he knew this was where change would take place.

Jesus purposely went to Samaria, because he is on a mission to search for the broken in the world, and that mission is still going today.

God wants to use you now to impact and change your culture, and he wants you the way you are now, you don't have to change a thing. He can use you where you are, in this revolution.


	17. Chapter 16: Agrabah

**Hi everyone! **

**I keep forgetting to tell you guys about the story that Yamichaos27 and I are writing called, ****_Radiant Garden Renegades_****. It's about Kairi, Lea, Isa, and Sasuke when they were children, and all the crazy endeavors they got into together.**

**Please, check it out.**

**I'm honestly not impressed with this chapter, so I apologize if it seemed crappy...**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix**

**Aladdin (c) to Disney**

**All my OCs (c) to me!**

**Sasuke (c) to Yamichaos27!**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Agrabah**

* * *

"Are you certain, Pith?"

"Yes, Uncle Ansem," the boy sighed. "I know I brought it upon myself by mentioning Maleficent, but I never thought she'd threaten to kill me."

Sasuke's face appeared beside his leader's. "Why is she so angry with Maleficent; I mean, I have a hunch, but do you know?"

Pith bit his lip and nodded. "You both remember what Maleficent did to our family… and Patria has always been angry that we don't have another sibling, because of Maleficent, and the fact that we were almost never born, because of her. We may not have been there, but it still makes her angry; not to mention, what it did to Mom, emotionally."

"So, she blames Maleficent for the troubles of your family…?"

"Yea…" The boy averted his eyes. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"Ok, Pith. Keep us appraised…"

As the boy closed the transmission, a voice spoke behind him. "So, you're spying on your sister, now."

"Glacies!?" He jumped. Taking a deep breath, he wrung his hands. "I um… well, Sasuke sensed a lot of darkness from my sister, and he just wanted me to make sure she was ok. Also, since she threatened me last night, I thought they should know."

"Alright, but you need to be careful. My mom was given a similar task, and it ended badly." With that, she left.

Pith sat back down, resting his head in his hands. How had things gone so wrong, so fast?

* * *

"I'm so excited! I've always wanted to come here!" Hikari clasped her hands as she looked around the bazaar.

Even though the sun was beginning to set, it was still blazing hot under the desert sun.

"I hate this weather…" Patria turned her eyes to the palace. "I would say we should go find Aladdin and Jasmine, but how we're getting into the palace, is something else."

"STOP HIM!"

A figure dressed in dark blue robes, their head and face covered. He held a large sack over his shoulder as he dashed across the flat roofs. "Who is that?"

"Azim!" A merchant pointed. "Call the guards!"

The dark robed figure leapt off a building and down an alley. The Keybearers pursued, but the person, known as Azim, had vanished. "Where'd he go?"

"You there! Halt!" Turning around, the group saw a few palace guards. "You're all under arrest for conspiring with the criminal, Azim!"

"Hold on!"

"We didn't do anything!"

Glacies held up a hand. "Wait. Sir, we'll come with you. Take us before the sultan."

* * *

A man, not too much older than their parents, sat on the throne. "Rasol, what is going on?"

"I've captured these criminals; they were conspiring with Azim."

"If by 'conspiring' you mean trying to catch, then yes, we were." Blaze rolled her eyes.

Glacies shot her a glare before bowing before the sultan. "Your Highness, my name is Glacies. Am I correct in assuming that your name is Aladdin?"

"You are…"

"I am the daughter of Keyblade Masters Terra and Aqua. Those with me are the children of the other Guardians of Kingdom Hearts." The young Keyblade Master remained with her head bowed. "We arrived here and chased this 'Azim' person and were wrongly accused of assisting him."

Aladdin's face went from shock to a kind smile. "Rasol, there has been a mistake. These children are honored guests of mine. They are to be granted every courtesy and access to any information or location they wish."

The guard grimaced, his lip curling into a snarl. "Yes, your highness…"

As soon as Rasol left, Aladdin got off his throne and approached the Keybearers. "I am so happy to meet all of you. I'm sorry for Rasol; he's never liked the face that I became Sultan, and he's just taken things too far lately."

"No need to apologize, we wanted to meet you anyways." Ryô smiled.

"Aladdin…" a woman with black hair, which had to be Jasmine, entered the room. "Who are these people?"

As soon as the introductions were completed, Jasmine smiled. "It's so nice to meet you."

"Same to you," Xally grinned. "Hey, where's Genie? I've really wanted to meet him."

"Genie, Carpet, and Abu are out with my daughter. She likes to go into town and I refuse to let her go alone."

Pith looked at him. "You have a daughter?"

"Whoa! We've got a herd of Keyblade wielders in the room!" A blue man went flying around the room, staring down at the kids.

"Genie!"

"That's right! The one and only GENIE formerly OF THE LAMP!" He got right in their faces, changing his appearance to look like a doctor. He grew eight more arms and stuck a tongue depressor into everyone's mouth. "So… I see Terra and Aqua's kid, Lea and a woman I don't know's kids, Roxas and Xion's kid, Naminé and Ven's kid, and Sora and Kairi's kids. The rest of you I don't know."

Hikari giggled and began. "Well, I'm…"

"Hold it!" the magical man turned into Sherlock Holmes. "I can figure this out." He pulled out a magnifying glass and began looking at Hikari. "I see a silver hair on the shoulder, and I sense a darkness, not an evil one, from someone else. My deduction: you are Riku's daughter!" He turned his attention to Xally and Justin. "You do lots of sweating, I see traces of blue and brown hair on both of you. Deduction: you are Terra and Aqua's children!"

Grins plastered themselves on everyone's faces, at Genie's humor and methods. "You're right."

"So, where are your parents?"

The smiles of the group fell. "Th-they're missing. We're collecting these pieces of a lock to find them." Brimstone sighed. "That's why we're here."

Aladdin narrowed his eyes in concerned. "Do you know where it is?"

"The world's Keyhole." Pith explained. "Dad said, in his stories, that it's in the Cave of Wonders."

The queen nodded. "We know exactly where it is. Genie, would you mind taking some of these young ones, to the cave to find the Keyhole?"

"Ya vol herr commandant'!" Genie saluted. "So, who wants to go?"

Patria shoved her twin brother, and Brimstone, forward. "I volunteer these two."

"Hey, I don't mind." The male pyro crossed his arms.

"Me neither."

"What about the rest of us?" Justin cocked his head.

Aladdin cleared his throat. "I was wondering, if you could help me with something."

"Father?" Came a lovely voice.

Brimstone blinked and smirked. "Hubba, hubba…"

Coming inside was a beautiful girl with wavy black hair; her shirt, which showed her belly, and long skirt were a light lavender, with a pink veil material flowing down her body and covering her mouth and nose.

"Excuse me," the sultan flicked the drooling pyro in the head. "Eyes off my daughter." He looked to the girl. "Hello, Amira, how was your time in the city?"

"Very good, Father, except for the commotion caused by Azim."

"Speaking of that," Patria interrupted. "Who the heck is Azim?"

"That's what I wanted to speak with you about." Aladdin admitted. "Azim is a criminal who steals from the corrupt rich and returns to money to its rightful owners. I have no problem with that, actually, it sounds like something I would do. However, it is causing uproar amongst the rich and they are stirring up the people. If Azim is not stopped, I'm afraid the people will try and over throw me and put the corrupt wealthy in charge. Don't worry about the corrupt, I will deal with them in the proper form." He had Jasmine usher Amira out of the room before looking at them. "I would like for you to catch him."

Blaze shoved her brother into Pith. "Ok, while these two go find us a lock piece, the rest of us will track down Azim."

"Sounds like a plan!"

Genie elbowed the two boys he was escorting. "Why don't we find the rug-man and take a flight to the Cave of Wonders?"

"Let's do it!"

* * *

Patria sat beside Glacies, atop a roof. They both watched for any sign of the criminal. "You should be watching for Azim, not me."

"Huh?" The Keyblade Master averted her eyes; had she been that easy to spot? "Oh, sorry…"

"You don't have to keep your eyes on me, I've got it under control." Glacies seemed to cock her head at this. "I mean my darkness… Yes, I heard you and Pith talking last night. Don't worry, I'm not going to give in to darkness, I just have a temper."

"You're not angry?"

The younger girl chuckled. "Maybe just a little… I mean, with you, Pith, Uncle Ansem, and Sasuke all not trusting me… it does hurt." Looking the Keyblade Master in the eyes, she sighed. "You don't have to worry about me, I have my darkness well under control, and it's not excessive darkness, it's the same as everyone else's, I just show if more often."

Glacies didn't know how to respond, however, she saw movement on one of the nearby rooftops. "Patria, I'm so sorry, but we'll have to finish this conversation later. I see Azim!"

"You're not the only one," the older twin pointed. They could see Justin leaping across the rooftops, after the thief. "Come on!"

Justin used the Force to propel himself through the air. It didn't take him long to close the distance between himself and Azim.

"That's far enough!" He tackled the robbed figure to the ground.

"Ow!" That voice did not belong to a male, but a female, and a young one at that. Azim turned over, and, in their tussle the head covering came off.

Justin stared in shock at the unmasked daughter of Aladdin and Jasmine. "Amira!? You're Azim?"

The princess rolled, getting on top of Justin as she pulled out a dagger, holding it to the boy's throat. "Don't tell anyone about this!"

"I can't do that, Amira. Now, just calm do…" His Jedi senses warned him of her movements, as she attempted to knock him out. He moved his head and began thrashing, attempting to get his hands free to Force her away.

"Sorry…" Reaching into a pouch at her belt, she flung some powder into his face. Justin shook it off, but the powder had already taken effect, and his eyes blinked shut.

Luckily, she was in possession of some sort of magic powder, which did whatever she wanted it to. She tossed a pinch onto the Jedi Keybearer's body, and then, on herself.

Patria and Glacies could not keep up with Justin's Force propelled movements. The girls came up to a roof, just in time to see Azim, the head-cover off, however they only saw her back.

"Azim is a girl."

"Justin!" Glacies saw her adopted brother's body, laying on the ground. The two suddenly vanished. "NO!"

* * *

Pith and Brimstone took a breath; there sure were a lot of Heartless in this cave. "Yo, Pith." Brim patted the other boy's shoulder. "I've got a question."

"Shoot."

"Well, Yake's got a girlfriend, Justin isn't interested in any form of meaningful relationship of the romantic kind, Ryô has definitely got a thing for Blaze, and I'm the local flirt…"

"So?" The young twin asked.

"What about you?" The older boy leaned on a pillar, ready to listen.

Pith sat down. "I don't like to talk about it…" He pulled a picture out of his pocket. "But, maybe, I need to get it out…" Brim came over and sat beside him. The photo was of a younger Pith, and a pretty young girl with brown hair and eyes. "This is Briana. I met her when we were kids and we grew up together… I've never loved anyone like her before."

"Is she waiting for you, back at the islands?"

"No…" the other boy folded the picture back up. "She disappeared three weeks before the worlds sealed off. But, I'm going to find her, one day."

"You're a patient man, Pith," Brim slapped his back. "I hope you find her. Now, let's get to that keyhole."

"Yea."

* * *

Aladdin paced back and forth across the throne room, only stopping as the Keybearers came in. "Did you catch him?"

"No, and Azim isn't a 'he', Azim is a she."

"Really?"

Glacies looked down. "Yes, and she took Justin."

"Don't worry, we'll find Azim!" Hikari grinned.

Aladdin smiled. "Thank you, all of you."

* * *

Glacies and Patria stood beside the sultan, who stood dressed in some more appropriate clothes for an endeavor such as this.

They saw Azim come leaping across a rooftop, carrying someone on her back. Azim leapt down to a house and let the figure off her back.

A woman came running out of a house; the light from the open door revealed that Azim's passenger was a little girl. The woman embraced the child and thanked the thief.

"Azim was rescuing that girl." Aladdin smiled. He hated to have to put an end to this person's actions, but he had to, or else the people would revolt. He jumped down, with the two Keybearers behind him.

The thief turned on them and withdrew a dagger, and took a handful of powder from a pouch. Glacies summoned Hoarfrost. "Azim, or whatever your name is, stand down."

Azim threw the powder at the ground; in a puff of red smoke, a giant snake appeared and began snapping at the sultan and girls.

Patria grunted as the snake's tail slammed her into the ground, pinning her there. Aladdin drew a sword and began blocking the snake's fangs as Glacies went under the snake's head; coating her Keyblade in magic, the Keyblade Master slashed upwards. The snake's head came off.

In it's involuntary, after death, reactions the serpent's tail whipped, sending Patria flying down an alley.

Glacies looked around. "Where's Az…?"

"No need to ask." Jasmine, along with Blaze and Xally. They held the thief between them. The queen looked at her husband. "I don't know what you're going to think of this, but…" She pulled off Azim's head-cover.

"Amira!?"

The princess averted her eyes. "Father I…"

"We'll talk about this later. Now, where is Justin?"

"I'll bring him back." Pulling away from her captors, the princess pulled out some more powder and threw it down. In a poof, Justin appeared. "I just sent him to a desert oasis."

"Thank you for bringing me back, thought I will admit, I did enjoy a good swim at that oasis."

The conversation turned as Jasmine and Aladdin began berating their daughter; Hikari noticed that Patria was not around. She went towards a nearby alley. And, there she way, lying on the ground. "Tria!"

"I'm fine, Kari…" The older girl looked over as her cousin. "I just didn't feel like getting up."

"Oh, Tria…"

The older girl suddenly tensed. "Kari. Don't move." Patria summoned her Keyblade, shoving Hikari behind her.

The smaller Keyblade wielder followed Patria's gaze, and her breath froze. A shadowy figure, clad in all black, two horns sticking from their head, a tall staff, with a sickly, green, orb of light, atop the staff. "M-Maleficent…"

"You…" Patria snarled.

"Well, the daughter of Sora, and the daughter of Riku." Her eyes fixed on the younger girl. "Such a sweet little thing; I wonder how long it will take to cast you into darkness…"

The younger girl tensed, closing her eyes and ducking behind her cousin. Patria growled. "Come any closer, and I drive this sword down your throat."

"Oh…" the witch cocked an eyebrow. She stared at the two for a moment, before smirking. "Perhaps, a change in plans is in order. We shall meet again…" She vanished into a dark corridor.

"GET BACK HERE YOU WITCH!" The older girl lunged forward, just missing the corridor, as it vanished.

"Patria! What's wrong?" The Aladdin and the others stood in the opening of the alley, staring at her.

"Maleficent! She was here… and she got away!"

Glacies sighed. "Well, there's nothing we can do now. She's already gone; what did she want anyways?"

"She didn't say…" Hikari stood up. "But I think she wanted me…"

Jasmine came over and hugged Riku's daughter. "Don't worry. Maleficent's gone."

"Thank you…"

As they went back to the palace, Glacies watched as Patria continued to stare at where Maleficent disappeared. The girl stood with her fists clenched. The Keyblade Master blinked in shock; a small wisp of darkness came from the younger girl, but vanished in an instant.

The older girl began walking, slowly back to the palace. What could she do? She was not at all prepared to handle something like this… She collapsed against a wall. "Dad… I need your help." One of her companions is showing darkness and she had no idea what to do about it.

"Hey Glace," Patria approached. "What are you doing?"

"Wishing my dad and mom were here…"

"I do to…" The other girl sat down beside her. "Being out on our own, without our parents, a lot of things seem to come out into the open."

"Yea… wanna talk about it?"

"Nope…" Patria stood up and held out a hand to help the Keyblade Master up.

Accepting the help, the two began heading back towards the palace.

* * *

Sitting in the gummi ship cockpit, Pith tossed the lock piece up and down as he listened to the others. "So, what you're saying is, Amira was Azim the entire time…?"

"Yep."

"Well, gosh…" The boy leaned back in the seat. "Sounds like you guys had fun time…"

"Oh shut up." Yuyake shoved him playfully.

Glacies came to the doorway and motioned to Pith. The boy instantly stood up and followed her. "What's up?"

"It's your sister. She showed a physical representation of darkness today."

"I was afraid this would happen…" He sighed, "I'll let Sasuke and Uncle Ansem know… because, I don't know what else to do."

"Alright…"

* * *

Naminé blinked at her surroundings. The white walls brought back every bad memory of Castle Oblivion. She sat up, glancing around; this was Castle Oblivion.

Scattered around her, lay drawings of of her life after Xehanort's defeat. A shadow fell over her. "What a beautiful looking life… too bad it's only in your mind."

"Y-You!?" She pulled back. "But how?"

Xemnas stood before her. "I have never left this world. You have just slept… and dreamed up a beautiful life. Too bad it was only a dream."

"You're lying!"

"Am I?" he smirked. "You've been locked in this room for so long. I'm sure all you wanted was a real life. However, that will never happen…" He moved towards the door.

"No! Stop!"

Naminé ran for the door, only for it to close and her hear the lock activating. Could it be true; had she really been locked in here the entire time…?

No! It couldn't be, she was sure, and there was one way to prove her right…

* * *

Ryô smiled in his sleep. He was dreaming about going to prom with Blaze… However, as his dream took a turn for the better, and Blaze was about to kiss him, everything faded.

"Wait! What?"

"Ryô…"

"Huh?" The boy looked around as everything turned white around him.

The voice came again, clearer this time. "Ryô!"

Ryô's eyes widened; he knew that voice. "I-It can't be… Mom…?"

* * *

**And… Leaving you here.**

**Please review!**

**The group goes to a new world to help defeat a way of life, alongside a disliked boy and his best friend**

**In… _Berk_**

* * *

**Fear of the End**

I'm sure, by now, you've heard about the shooting in Oregon.

You might have also heard that the shooter singled out Christians.

One may look at this and ask "why". Yes, this is a horrible event. However, There is some peace.

How can one look down the barrel of a gun and not fear death? If you are saved by the grace of God, you can.

There is a peace, that passes all understanding. Those Christians knew that, when they died, they would go to heaven and be with Jesus forever.

1 Peter 4:14-16 says, "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rest upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."

Jesus said we would be persecuted; we see that with the shooting and we've seen that lately with ISIS as well.

If you are a Christian, you do not have to fear death, because you are held in the arms of Christ.

That doesn't mean you WANT to die just yet; I mean, I would like to have a family before I die. But, better is one day in the courts of the Lord, than thousands elsewhere.

So, if you are saved by the grace of God, you do not have to fear death.


	18. Chapter 17: Berk (part 1)

**Some of you might not have seen that I decided to change what world this was. **

**I was originally going to do Kung Fu Panda, but I decided to change it at the last moment.**

**So I hope you all enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**All my OCs (c) to me!**

**How to Train Your Dragon (c) to Dreamworks!**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Berk**

* * *

Ryô ran forward, gripping his mom in the tightest hug he could muster. "Mom! You're ok!"

"I don't know about ok, but it's good to see that you're safe." Naminé kissed her son's forehead. "I knew it couldn't be real…"

"What?"

"I was back in Castle Oblivion and Xemnas was there. He said that you, and my life with your father, had all been a dream. I didn't believe it, so I tried to contact you, and here you are!"

The boy blinked. "So, this is all in my mind… Well, don't worry, we know where you, Dad, and the others are. We're coming to find you."

"Dad? The others?" the blonde woman cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"Someone came and took all the guardians of Kingdom Hearts. Me and the others are trying to find you. Do you have any idea who could've done something like that?"

"No… the only one who would've tried is dea… AHG!" Naminé gripped her head in pain.

"Mom!"

The woman gripped her son's hand, "I-I'm sorry…" She faded away, into nothingness.

"Mom…!" The dream around him began to fade…

* * *

"MOM!" Ryô sat up in his bed. He rubbed his eyes. "It was a dream…?

His door opened and Blaze tiptoed in. "Ry, is something wrong?"

The boy rubbed his eyes. "My mom… she just contacted me from where our parents are."

"She did!" the pyro grabbed his hands. "Anything about my dad?"

He shook his head. "She had no idea that any of the others were missing, or who's behind it. Sorry…" He frowned as Blaze looked downward, tears in her eyes. "Hey, its ok, Blaze…"

She leaned against Ryô's shoulder. "I know, I shouldn't be acting this way. You were the one who just got torn away from your mom, again. I just… seeing Aladdin and Amira; it made me miss my dad. Without him, I'm just a frightened little girl who can't control herself."

"That's not true."

"But it is," Blaze gripped her friend's shirt. "I'm no more in control than I was that one day…" She slowly touched his lower right thigh, recalling that horrible day.

* * *

_Seven-year-old, Blaze sat outside playing with a small ball of fire. _

_"Hey Blaze!" Ryô came and sat beside her. "Wow, you're good."_

_"Thanks!" _

_Brimstone came walking out of their home before freezing. "Sis! Put that out! You know we're not allowed to summon fire without Mom or Dad."_

_"Sorry…" the girl parted her hands, and the ball of fire fell to the ground. Normally, the flames would've gone out, but, this time, the flames rose. _

_"Sis! Put it out!" _

_"I'm trying!" _

_The fire traveled up the girl's leg, all the way up to her head; her eyes turned into green fire and her hair lit up with flames. She screamed as fire surrounded her, shooting out in every direction. _

_Brimstone and Ryô dove away, as the fire spread, catching onto buildings. "DAD! DAD! HELP!" _

_"What's going on?" Lea came running out. His eyes widened as his daughter unleashed fire in all directions. "BLAZE!" He tried to get close, but a tongue of fire whipped out, catching him across the arm; normally, fire didn't harm him, but this left a deep red burn mark. _

_"Lea! We have to stop her." Sera gripped her husband's shirt; despite being blind, his wife could sense the uncontrollable power coming from their daughter. "We need to overload her powers. Blast fire at her. It's the only way!" _

_The two parents unleashed a wave of fire at their daughter. The little girl curled up as the flames surrounded her. It soon became too much, and she sent it all skyward, before the flames died down. _

_Lea ran to his child, pulling her into his arms. "Blaze… are you ok?" _

_"D-daddy…" _

_Ansem the Wise, along with many others, came running up. Ventus looked around, before seeing his son, laying nearby. "Ry! Are you ok?"_

_"Daddy… it hurts…" The little blonde boy shed tears as he gripped his right thigh. _

_The Keyblade wielder lifted up his son, gasping at the blood seeping past the boy's hand. "Ansem! I need some medical assistance!"_

_"Coming." Ienzo ran over to the father and son. He removed the child's hand and winced. "We should get him back to the castle, so we can treat these 3rd degree burns. Lea, bring Blaze as well, we need to check on her."_

_The little pyro looked at her friend, as Ven carried him to the castle. "Ry… I'm sorry…"_

* * *

Ryô placed a hand over hers. "It doesn't hurt anymore; I don't blame you for it, and I never have. It was an accident."

He paused. The girl had cried herself to sleep. Leaning against the headboard, Ryô closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

"Hey Ry! Justin and Xally found another lock piece!" Brimstone opened the door to his best friend's room; he froze, mouth agape, pointing in shock.

Ryô blinked his eyes open, yawning. "Good morning, Brim… what wrong?" The blonde looked down, eyes widening. Blaze leaned against his chest, sleeping. "Oh… Brim, this isn't what it looks like!"

"Uh… What's going on, Ry?" The red-head's eyes fluttered open. She glanced from the blonde boy, to her older brother. The girl tensed, jumping up, out of the bed. "Brim! This isn't what it looks like! I just came to talk with him, last night, and fell asleep! Nothing happened!"

The older boy narrowed his eyes. "Ry… best friend or not, I'm gonna kill you."

Blaze knocked her brother back, dragging Ryô out of the room and down the hall. They dove behind one of the couches as Brimstone came stomping down the hall.

"What's going on here?" Glacies came in, alerted by the noise.

"Glacies help us!"

"Brim's trying to kill me!"

The older girl got in front of the older boy. "Calm down, Brim. Now, what's going on?"

"I come to get Ry and I find my sister in bed with him!"

"Nothing happened!" Blaze retorted. "It was an accident!"

Glacies rubbed her face. "Ok… Brim, if nothing happened, then you have no reason to be angry. Ry, Blaze, don't do anything, please."

"We weren't planning on it!"

The rest of the group stood in the doorway, watching the conversation. "Hey Yake," Hikari asked, "Why is Brim so mad about Ry and Blaze accidentally falling asleep in the same bed?"

"Kari, you'll find out soon enough. When we get your dad back, you can have that conversation with him, because I'm not doing it."

Justin cleared his throat. "Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but we're at a new world."

"Fine, but I'll be watching you, Ry…"

* * *

"Well, that village has seen better days…" Xally joked.

A small town sat on a hill, roofs smoldering and the smell of fire and smoke drifted through the air.

A girl, about the same age as Patria and Pith, came walking by. "Hey, what are you all doing? We have to rebuild the village!"

"Whoa, calm down," Justin held up a hand. "We're not from around here; we actually just arrived. What happened here?"

"Dragon attack," the girl hefted up a bucket of water. "We have rebuilt this village so many times, because there are so many attacks. Oh, by the way, the name's Astrid." With that, she left.

Pith gave a low whistle. "Dragons… well, this is certainly going to be interesting."

"Hey, where's he going?" Hikari pointed. A boy with brown hair was stumbling away from the village, a parchment in his hand. The little girl ran after him, with the others following.

Approaching him, they heard the boy mumble. "Some people lose their knife or their mug. No, not me. I manage to lose an entire dragon…" He hit a branch, only for it to snap back up in his face, knocking him to the ground.

"You ok?" The boy looked surprised at his audience and the fact that anyone would try to help him.

"Um, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Yuyake grinned. "We saw you leaving the village, and we were curious. What's your name?"

"Um, Hiccup," the boy dusted off his clothes. "I know, ridiculous name, but my people believe that hideous names ward off 'evil spirits'."

Patria smirked, opening her mouth to make a snide remark, but a glare from Glacies silenced her. "So… what are you up to?"

"Ok, you're not going to believe this, but, last night, I shot down a Night Fury!" He seemed very excited, but the group just looked confused. "You know, a Night Fury. 'The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself'. The dragon no one has ever killed or even seen. How do you guys no know that?"

"We're… not from around here…"

"Kari, where are you going?" Yuyake followed after the younger girl. She pointed upwards, to the tree over her, which was snapped in half.

Glacies smiled. "I'm guessing she's on the trail of your dragon."

All of them followed the smallest girl through a large trench of dirt. "Look…"

A black dragon, not a very large one, lay tangled in a bola. It looked dead. "Poor thing…"

"Oh wow." Hiccup didn't see it the same way as Xally. "I did it. I did it! This fixes everything! Yea!" He placed his foot on the dragon's back, striking a pose. "I have brought down this mighty beast."

"Hey, beast-slayer," Patria smirked. "The dragon is still moving." Just as she said, the tail swished and the Night Fury moved.

Everyone jumped back. Hiccup pulled out a knife. "Wait, you're not going to kill it, are you? It's defenseless."

"I'm a viking! Killing dragons is what we do! If I do this I will finally be respected and not treated as a nobody!" He moved along the side of the creature, coming to the head.

Blaze watched the dragon open his yellow eyes, darting around at everyone nearby. The eyes fixed on Hiccup.

The viking tried to look away, but couldn't. He took a deep breath. "I'm going to kill you, dragon. I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father. I'm a viking. I am a VIKING!" As he raised the dagger, the younger girls lunged forward to stop him, only for some of the others to hold them back.

"What are you doing? We need to stop him."

Pith whispered to Xally. "Listen, I don't think he'll do it… just wait."

Hiccup looked down at the Night Fury as it laid down its head, ready to die. Eventually, the young viking lowered the knife. "I did this…" He stood and sighed, before turning and cutting the ropes, securing the dragon.

"Um, Hiccup," Ryô smiled nervously, "Why don't you do that when we're not standing too close to a killer dragon."

His words came too late; as the last rope snapped, the Night Fury leapt up, sweeping its tail to knock the group on the ground. It jumped up, pinning Hiccup on the ground, growling in his face.

There came a tense couple seconds before the Night Fury turned, extending its wings and flying through the air, albeit sloppily, with a shrieking cry.

"You ok, Hiccup?" Glacies helped the boy up.

"Y-yea…" with that, he fainted.

* * *

After helping Hiccup back to the village, the group were offered rooms for the night. As they sat in the great hall, eating a very hearty, meaty dinner, Hiccup came stumbling in.

Everyone glared at him, showing that they didn't want him to sit with them. So, he sat down beside Brimstone. "What's going on with you?"

"Him…" the pyro stared menacingly down at his best friend.

The blonde boy, at the other end of the table, squirmed under the older boy's glare.

"So," Justin sat across from the viking. "What going on with you? You seem upset."

"Well, yea. My dad just said that I'm taking dragon training, tomorrow." He lowered his voice. "If I couldn't kill one today, how could I possibly do it in the arena?"

"If you're that much of a loser, then just do so bad, they throw you out." Patria muttered. "Or, you'll be eaten…"

"That's… comforting…"

* * *

The group sat around the arena, watching as Hiccup and the other recruits enter the arena. "Who are those guys?"

"I met them earlier," Yuyake spoke out. "The bigger one is Fishlegs, the twins are Ruffnut and Tuffnut, we know Astrid already, the other guy is Snotlout, and their teacher is the village blacksmith Gobber."

"Oh, did you learn the dragon names too?"

"Yes, I did…" the raven-haired boy smirked. "I talked with Fishlegs this morning. The guy's a walking dragon encyclopedia. He said, they'll be fighting The Deadly Nadder, the Hideous Zippleback, the Monsrous Nightmare, the Terrible Terror, and the Gronkle… and yes, the adjectives in the names are really there."

Blaze smirked, "Could you tell us which dragon they're fighting if you saw it?"

"After the extremely detailed descriptions Fishlegs gave me, probably."

They watched as Gobber opened one of many doors. "Well, nows the time to test your knowledge."

Out of the door burst a hefty, but rather small dragon with bumps all over and small wings. "That, would be a Gronkle…"

The group watched as the dragon chased the teenage vikings around the arena. The Gronkle blasted shields out of everyone's hands, until only Astrid and Hiccup were standing.

When Hiccup lost his shield, Gobber charged in, saving the boy from certain death. As the adult viking dragged the dragon back into its pen, Ryô whistled "Wow… that certainly was a nasty little sucker."

"Huh, that's weird."

"What?"

"If you'd been listening to what Gobber just said, you would know." Glacies stated in a matter-of-fact manner. "He said that a dragon will always go for the kill." Her voice lowered. "But remember the Night Fury; it knocked us all down and had the chance to kill Hiccup, but let him live."

"I wonder why."

* * *

Apparently, Hiccup had the same idea. The group went with him, back to where they found the Night Fury.

They all went in the same direction that the Night Fury had flown off the day before. "Are you certain it's still here? Why wouldn't it have taken off by now?"

"Couldn't you tell, Tria?" Xally commented. "It still seemed hurt yesterday. There's actually I high chance that it's still here."

Approaching a hidden cove with a pool of water inside, Brim bent down to pick up a single black scale. "This looks like it came from our dragon."

Suddenly, the Night Fury rocketed past the opening. They all watched as it scrambled, trying to get up the walls, wings flapping violently.

As the group watched it, the viking boy pulled out a notebook and began sketching out the beast.

"Why doesn't it just fly off?"

"There's your answer." Justin pointed. "It's missing half of its tail."

"Poor thing, it must have been hurt when it was shot down." Hikari cooed.

Hiccup looked up, glaring, as he erased half the creature's tail. "Well thank you for making me feel even more guilty than I already do…"

"Guys… it spotted us." Everyone turned and saw the Night Fury staring at them. "Maybe, we should get back."

"I'm with you." Looking the dragon in the face, one last time, they turned and headed back for the village.

* * *

Sitting in the great hall, Hiccup sat with the group, away from the other recruits. As they ate, Gobber instructed the young vikings. "Alright, where did Astrid go wrong in the ring today?"

"I mistimed my somersault dive; it was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble."

Yuyake smirked. "Gosh, she sounds like some of the kids I teach at the gym back home."

The older viking smirked. "She's right, you have to be tough on yourselves." His eyes landed on Hiccup. "Where did Hiccup go wrong?"

"He showed up."

"He didn't get eaten."

"You know, I could say the same about you." Patria muttered.

"Oh yea!" Ruffnut jumped up. "You wanna come say that to my face."

Barely turning her head around to look at him. "Don't tempt me."

Astrid rolled her eyes and gave a legitimate reply to Gobber's question. "He's never where he should be."

"Bingo! Now, you recruits need to learn, live and breathe this stuff." The older man threw a thick book onto the table. "The dragon manual; everything we know about every dragon we know of." A peal of thunder shook the hall. "No attacks tonight; study up."

"Wait, you mean read?"

"While we're still alive?"

"I'm surprised the two of you can read," Patria called over her shoulder.

Snotlout called back to her. "Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?"

"Oh!" Fishlegs bounced up and down. "I've read it like, seven times. There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face. And there's this other one that buries itself for like a week…"

Tuffnut rolled his eyes. "Yea, that sounds great. There was a chance I was going to read that…"

"…but now…" His twin huffed.

"You guys read, I'll go kill stuff." All the recruits got up to go.

"So," Hiccup walked over to Astrid and picked up the book. "I guess we'll share…"

"Read it." She pushed it toward him, and followed the others out.

* * *

Once the hall cleared, Hiccup pulled the book towards him. Only Glacies and Brimstone sat awake, with him.

Yuyake awoke to a boom of thunder. He could see the other three awake, reading the book of dragons. The boy, slowly, stood, making sure not to disturb Hikari, who had been lying on him.

Tiptoeing out of the hall, into the howling wind and rain. He ignored the cold water, staring out at the tossing sea.

His eyes narrowed; a figure, clad in a black robe, strode through the village. From a stick in their hand, created something like a shield over him, keeping off the rain.

This person was far too scrawny to be one of the vikings and his garb was definitely from another world.

As the rain let up, Yuyake leapt to his feet and went down to them, quickly seeing that it was a boy, around his age, with black hair. His clothes resembled a school uniform, save for the black and green robe, and the stick he held was carved beautifully.

"Hey! Who are you?"

The boy twirled his stick towards Yuyake. "_Stupefy_." An invisible force threw the Keybearer back, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

The boy awoke, his chest burning with pain. "Yake! Are you ok? What happened?"

"Some guy…" the boy rubbed his head. "He attacked me with some spell."

Hikari smiled, "Well, at least you're ok."

"Where is everyone?"

"They all went to watch the dragon training." The little girl explained. "Oh, and you missed Brim trying to kill Ry again."

"What happened?"

"Well, apparently, Blaze had some sort of nightmare and she went to Ry because she was scared, and her brother flipped out."

Yuyake sat up. "I kind of wish I'd seen that."

The room door swung open, revealing Pith. "Hey! You're up! Are you fit to move? We were going to go see the Night Fury; Hiccup's already there."

"I'm fine, my chest is just sore." Yake swung his legs over the side of the bed. "I'll explain what happened on the way…"

* * *

Coming into the cove, the trio saw the others watching the dragon and Hiccup. Justin turned to them. "This is amazing. The Night Fury acts kind of like a playful dog, but with retractable teeth."

Xally gasped. "Look!"

They all watched as Hiccup held out his hand to the dragon, and the Night Fury bridged the gap, pressing his muzzle to the boy's hand. However, a moment later, the creature leapt away, leaving them all in shock.

* * *

"So this guy pointed his stick at you and somehow threw you back?"

"He said something when he did it." The raven-haired boy explained. "Something like 'stupidfly' or something like that."

Patria opened her mouth to make a snarky remark, but Yuyake gave her a deep glare.

"Was he from this world?"

Yuyake shook his head. "Most certainly not. He was wearing a school uniform under a black robe."

Glacies sighed. "Everyone keep an eye out for that guy. If you see him, don't engage… especially you, Patria. Follow him."

"Fine…"

* * *

"OH MY GOSH!" Blaze covered her face. "Brim! Leave Ry alone! Nothing has happened!"

Her older brother turned his glare from Ryô to his sister. "I keep finding the two of you together. Something is wrong about that!"

"Brim," their best friend countered, calmly. "I would never do anything like that to Blaze. I promise upon my Keyblade."

The older boy did nothing but glare. His sister slapped his shoulder. "Brim, you're too protective!" She stormed away, into the woods.

* * *

"Stupid Brim." The girl kicked a small rock, before incinerating it with her flames. "He's so stupid sometimes."

"Are you really saying such things about your own brother?" There, stood a boy, dressed in a gray and green school uniform, covered by a black robe.

"You! Who are you?"

He held up both hands. "Calm down, I'm not here to fight. Oh, and the name's Cander."

"Then what ARE you here for?"

The boy scratched his chin. "Well, I would like to keep those Keybearers from fighting back, and a hostage is the easiest way."

Blaze stiffened, hair lighting up with fire. "Then you picked the wrong person."

"Yea…" Cander flicked a small stick out of his sleeve. "I don't think so… _Carpe Retractum_!" A golden rope of energy shot from the stick, entangling Blaze and pulling her to him.

"LET ME GO!"

The rolled his eyes at her struggling. "_Crucio_." Blaze began to cry out in pain. "_Langlock_." Suddenly Blaze's tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, keeping her quiet. "Now, to move you… _Mobilicorpus_." The girl's body floated towards a large clearing, where a large dragon awaited. However, the eyes were glazed over.

Cander laid her down on the dragon's back before climbing up, himself. A smirk appeared on his face. "And, lastly, _Obscuro_." The last thing the girl saw was the boy's smirk, before a black object wrapped around her eyes, immersing her in darkness.

* * *

**I decided to stop here because I felt the looming presence of writer's block coming on.**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Choices**

Every person has choices. We can choose to eat healthy or not, to watch one movie or another, and we can also choose whether to sin or not.

There are temptations all around us. We can do something and then be tempted to lie about it, we can be tempted to do thing which are harmful to ourselves and others.

We are not alone in this. Even Jesus was tempted.

Matthew 4:1-11 tells of one such occasion.

_"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.'_

_Jesus answered, 'It is written: 'Men shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'' _

_Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 'If you are the Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down. For it is written:_

_'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you us in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.''_

_Jesus answered him, 'It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.''_

_Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All of this I will give you,' he said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.'_

_Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.''_

_Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him."_

Jesus became human and faced the same temptations we do.

He understands what we face and all we need do is ask for his help in resisting temptation, for he knows just what to do.


	19. Chapter 18: Berk (part 2)

**Hey everyone! **

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**If you want to follow me on there, go ahead.**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix**

**How to Train your Dragon (c) to Dreamworks**

**My OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

**Berk part 2**

* * *

"Where is she?"

"Why would I know?"

Hiccup and his Night Fury, which he called Toothless, stopped their flight practice and looked at the two arguing boys. The viking looked at Glacies. "So, what's with them?"

"Blaze has been missing for hours," she told him. "Brim blames Ryô. That's why the others aren't here; they're out looking for her."

Toothless cocked his head, looking slightly worried. "Maybe, when we get the flying down, we can find her. What'd ya think, bud?" The dragon seemed to agree.

"Thank you, both of you." The Keyblade Master sighed. "I'm beginning to get worried, myself."

* * *

Blaze kept her head down; there was no need to raise it, as the blindfold covered her eyes. Her arms, bound behind her, wrapped around a warm rock. Suddenly, the darkness faded away, and she blinked in the deep red light.

"Welcome," Cander knelt before her, "Don't even try to light that hot head of yours. If you do…" he pointed his stick at her. "_Crucio_" The girl screamed as pain racked her entire body, but only for a moment.

"I-I don't need to… I just gotta get that stick away from you…"

Cander scowled. "My 'stick' is a wand, don't insult it." He smirked. "You don't understand how much danger you are in, though. I could kill you in an instant."

The girl gave him a skeptic look. "Oh yea…?"

"_Imperio_." The boy waved his wand, and a Deadly Nadder, eyes glazed over, hopped towards them. "I have control over the leader here…"

"Huh?"

"Do you not understand? You are in the dragon nest, that the fool, Stoic, searches vainly for. I, using the Imperius curse, control the queen." He approached the Nadder. "However, I don't need the queen to kill you. _Avada Kedavra_." A green energy erupted from the wand, hitting the dragon, and killing it instantly.

Blaze tensed, now truly frightened.

"Now, I believe, that you will be a little bit more submissive…"

* * *

Patria, still looking for Blaze, strode by the training arena. Blaze disappeared days ago, and everyone was worried.

She heard a cheer from the arena spectators; perking her curiosity, the girl pushed through the crowd to see Hiccup use a reflection from his shield to send a Terrible Terror into its cage, like he'd done the day before, while playing with Toothless.

She smirked, the boy was using all he'd learned from his own dragon to stay alive.

Minutes later, the boy came running past, heading to where Toothless hid. "Excuse me," Patria turned to see Astrid. "Do you have any idea where he's going?"

"Nope…"

With that, she left, heading towards the docks. She saw a burnt, broken, practically destroyed ship, full of brunt, broken, and injured vikings.

Hiccup's father, Stoick, came lumbering out of the boat, looking at Gobber.

"Where are the other ships?"

"You don't want to know…"

Gobber smirked. "Well, I trust you fond the nest at least?"

"Not even close." The viking leader huffed.

"Ah, excellent."

Stoick groaned. "I hope you had a little more success than me."

"Well," the blacksmith smirked, "if by success, you mean that your parenting troubles are over with, then… yes."

Patria chuckled at the village chief's puzzled expression. Especially when four other villagers went up to Stoick. "Congratulations Stoick! Everyone is so relieved."

"Out with the old and in with the new, right?"

"No one will miss that old nuisance!"

"The village is throwing a party to celebrate!"

Patria laughed out loud at Stoick's shocked expression. "He's gone?"

"Yea… most afternoons." Gobber shrugged. "But who can blame him? I mean the life of a celebrity is very rough. He can barely walk through the village without being swarmed by his new fans."

"Hiccup?"

Gobber beamed. "Who would've though, eh? He has this… way with the beasts."

* * *

Yuyake and Hikari sat on a secluded beach, awaiting Hiccup and Toothless, who were out flying and looking for Blaze at the same time.

A black spot in the sky came steadily nearer, until the dragon and a charred Hiccup landed. "What happened to you?"

"Toothless decided to celebrate by flying through a ball of fire…"

The dragon began bouncing happily as he saw a large pile of fish. Hikari patted his head. "We got dinner."

"Any luck finding Blaze?"

"No," the viking sat down and stuck a fish on a stick, holding it over a fire that the Keybearers made. "Sorry…"

Hikari and Yuyake followed his example, all leaning on the warm flank of the Night Fury, as he too ate.

A noise filled the air as a group of Terrible Terrors landed nearby, snapping for the fish. The three watched them fight; one tried to sneak a fish from Toothless's pile, but the Night Fury snatched it back.

The tiny dragon hissed at the Night Fury, ready to blow a little fire at Toothless, but Toothless blew a small flame into the smaller dragon, making it fall back, coughing up smoke.

"Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?" Yuyake took a fish and threw it to the green and orange dragon. "Here you go…"

The tiny dragon gulped down the fish before coming towards the raven-haired boy, and curling up beside him.

"Everything we know about dragons, is wrong…" Hiccup watched as Yuyake pulled the Terrible Terror into his lap and began petting it.

"I am keeping this dragon, and I'm naming him Kindle."

Kindle began wagging it's tail at this before nuzzling the boy's chest.

* * *

The final challenge during dragon training kept Hiccup away from Toothless for a day, while the others continued to search for Blaze.

Brim and Ryô were grounded, by word of Glacies, from searching for now. The older boy nearly strangled his friend the day before. So, the two were keeping an eye on Toothless and Kindle.

Brimstone scratched the Night Fury behind the wing, while looking over at his friend. "Ry… I…"

"Not to be rude, but you're not the most eloquent of speakers," the blonde chuckled. "I know you're worried about her too… and I'm sorry I broke your trust. You have to understand, that I would never do anything to your sister."

"I know you wouldn't," the pyro huffed, "It's just, she's my baby sister and I don't like the idea of some guy coming in and sweeping her away."

Ryô smirked. "You know me, Brim. I've wanted to date your sister since 6th grade, and you told me you'd be ok with that. I'm sorry I made you think we were doing something wrong…"

"And I'm sorry fro overreacting…" The two approached one another, the older boy stretching out his hand. "Friends?"

"Friends!" The two shook, smiles on their faces.

* * *

"We're leaving. Toothless! Let's pack up." The boys looked up as Hiccup came into the cove, carrying a couple bags. "Looks like the two of us are taking a little vacation, forever."

Ry sighed, "Let me guess, you won…"

"Yep, now where is Toothless, we are leaving." The viking looked around for his dragon.

"He went to the other side, with Kindle, they were playin… uh… Hiccup…" Brimstone's voice faded out, eyes widening.

The viking turned around to see Astrid sitting on a rock, sharpening her ax. "Agh! What the… What are you doing here?"

The girl hopped off the rock, twirling her ax, making the three boys step away. "I want to know what's going on. No one just gets as good as you do; especially you. Start talking! Are these outsiders training you?"

"Uh… training?"

"No, we're not training him…"

"It better not involve… this." Astrid grabbed him by his riding harness.

Ryô held up his hands. "I know this looks bad, but you see…" The bushes rustles on the other side of the cove. The female viking dragged the trio down before slinking towards the noise.

"You're right! You're right!" Hiccup chased after her. "I'm through with the lies. I've been making… outfits, and these two are helping. So you got us. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back; go ahead. Here we go…" He took her hand, making it grab his harness, but Astrid twisted his hand. The wimpy boy sunk to the ground. "AGH! Why would you do that!?"

"That's for the lies." Astrid scowled, dropping the hilt of her ax on his head. "And that's for everything else."

A growl rang through the air and Toothless jumped down, to defend his friend. "Oh man…"

Astrid dove onto the boys. "Get down! Run!" She jumped up, ready to fight.

"NO!" The three pulled the ax from her hands, throwing it away. "It's ok! It's ok! She's a friend." The dragon snarled and the girl stiffened.

Brim patted the Night Fury. "You just scared him."

"I scared him!?" Astrid stiffened even further as Kindle jumped out of the bushes, hissing. Ryô gathered up the tiny dragon. "Who is him?"

Hiccup sighed, gesturing to his dragon. "Astrid, Toothless and Kindle. Toothless and Kindle, Astrid." The female viking backed away, slowly, before turning and running back towards the village. "We're dead…" The dragons both turned away. "Where do you think you're going?"

He jumped on Toothless's back and they flew off; a minute later, they heard Astrid scream.

"Hiccup is so dead…"

* * *

Blaze bit her lip, making it bleed easily; the lack of water caused her lips to crack. Cander was not around, but he used some of his magic to keep the dragons from harming her.

The dragon nest filled with warmth, especially when the nest's queen would come up.

Cries filled the air as the dragons came to bring their queen the kill. Nearby, a black dragon landed. Blaze gasped; two people sat on it's back.

"H-Hiccup… Hiccup… Help…"

The boy turned at her raspy voice. "Blaze!"

"Hiccup, what are you doing?"

He ran over to the bound girl, but his knife wouldn't cut through. "It's magic, I can't cut it." Her arms were bound around a pinnacle of rock, and there was no way to get around that.

"I think he's got this." Toothless slunk over, swinging his tail, over the pyro's head, breaking the column.

Blaze stood up, arms coming over the top of the broken rock: free. "Th-thank you."

"No problem." Hiccup helped her up onto Toothless, between him and Astrid. They watched as the other dragons dropped sheep and fish into the large chasm. "It's satisfying to know that all of our food has been dumped down a hole."

"They don't eat any of it," Blaze coughed. "That 'thing' does."

They watched as a weak Gronckle hovered over the pit, allowing a regurgitated fish to fall down; moments later the rocks shook with a roar. A giant dragon head came out of the pit, swallowing the poor Gronckle whole.

"What is that…?"

The giant dragon sniffed the air, noticing the two other humans, besides Blaze. Hiccup gulped. "Alright buddy, we gotta get out of here. Now!" The Night Fury took off, just as the dragon queen snapped at them.

* * *

The group met back up in the secluded cove. Another day and there was no sign of Blaze.

Yuyake scratched Kindle's neck. "How long has Hiccup been gone?"

"Longer than he should," Brim huffed.

"There he is!" Pith called out.

Toothless landed and Astrid jumped off, talking fast. "No, no, it totally makes sens. It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers, and that's their queen. It controls them. Let's find your dad."

"No, no! Not yet." Hiccup held up his hands. "First thing's first. Brimstone, I found your sister."

"What!" The pyro ran over and saw Blaze leaning, asleep, on Hiccup's back. "Blaze…" He pulled her off the dragon, carrying her to a soft, grassy patch.

Astrid continued to rant about telling Stoick about the dragon nest, while Glacies knelt beside Brim and Blaze.

She cut the girl's bonds with her Keyblade before casting Cure. "Get her some water and cook some fish; she'll need it when she wakes up."

"Ok…" Brim looked up as Ryô sat beside him.

"They found her tied up at the dragon's nest." Ry sighed. "I'm gonna guess that one of the assassins we've been encountering took her."

"If that's the case, why was it so easy for Hiccup to rescue her?"

"Maybe, they didn't think she'd be easily found." The blonde took off his jacket, rolling it up to be a pillow for the sleeping girl. Brim took off his coat, laying it over his sister.

"Brim, Ry," Glacies approached them. "When Blaze wakes up, take her back to the ship. We'll continue to look for the Keyhole, and support Hiccup in the ring tomorrow. Yuyake wants you to take Kindle with you."

They both nodded, watching as the rest of the group, plus Hiccup, went back to the village.

* * *

Brim took his turn to watch, while Ryô slept. He sighed as he saw the dawn begin to break over the horizon.

A moan, from his sister, caught his attention. Blaze blinked her green eyes and moaned in pain as she tried to move.

"Hey sis." He smoothed her hair. "How ya feelin'?"

"Lousy…" She smiled, weakly.

Her brother stood up, nudging their friend with his foot. "Get up, loser. She's awake."

"Brim, you're a jerk…" the blonde moaned as he rolled over, sitting up.

"Grab Kindle," the older pyro picked his sister up, the light from the gummi ship coming down and taking them up.

Ryô followed them, moments later.

* * *

The group stood, around the arena, watching as Hiccup entered ,wearing a traditional viking helmet. He picked up a small dagger and shield from the rack.

Gobber opened the gate and a giant red dragon, coated in flames, burst out. It climbed around the walls, before facing the young viking.

The boy backed away, threw the shield and dagger away, and eventually throwing away the helmet. He held out his hand to the dragon.

"Stop the fight!" His father yelled.

"No!" Hiccup cried back. "I need you all to see this. They're not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them."

Yuyake heard a pop and saw the boy who knocked him out. "You!"

"Sorry, I don't have time to deal with you," he waved his wand. "_Imperio_!"

The dragon suddenly snapped, attacking Hiccup. Hikari jumped up. "What did you do?"

"I don't think you would understand, git." He bowed, "If you want to fight me, meet me in the cove." With another pop, he vanished.

Patria smirked. "Let's go after him!"

"What about Hiccup?"

A familiar roar racked the air, and Toothless leapt down into the ring, defending Hiccup. The older twin pointed. "Toothless has it under control."

"But the others will kill him!" Xally tried to run down to the arena, but the boy from before appeared in front of her. "Get out of the way!"

"If you want this girl back, come meet me now." He grabbed Xally's arm, to her shock, before they both vanished.

Justin looked down at the arena. "What are we going to do…?"

The world around them began to swim and the scenery rushed past them, and they suddenly appeared in the cove. "WHAT!?"

The boy stood behind Xally, her eyes glazed over. "I am Cander, and this young lady, on my behalf, wishes to duel one of you. Which one, my dear girl?" Cander placed a hand on the Jedi Keybearer's arm. "Which one should you fight?"

"Her…" The young girl pointed at Hikari.

"Ok," Cander raised his wand. "The rest of you are superfluous… _Immobulus_." Everyone but Hikari froze in place. "Now, the two of you will fight, and the winner leaves here alive."

Without warning, Xally summoned her Keyblade, sending towards the smaller girl.

Hikari jumped away, only for Xally to force Gamble of Freedom around, hitting the girl in the back. The little girl looked up. "Xally! Please stop!"

"Oh just stop," Cander laughed. "Your voice can't cut through the Imperius curse."

Xally, slung the Keyblade at her friend, only for Hikari to duck. She ran forward, grabbing the shoulders of her friend. "Xally! Please! Wake up; this isn't y… augh!"

The older girl slapped Hikari, sending her to the ground. Cander came over, pressing his foot on the girl's throat. "I'm glad she picked you; it's easiest to take down the tiny, innocent, one. Now, if she'd picked Sora and Kairi's demon of a daughter, I might have an issue." He pressed harder, causing Hikari to choke.

"Augh! P-please st-stop…!" The child gripped her assailant's leg, but he only pressed harder.

"I want to kill you, but my boss says no. However, I need to know how far you've gotten in finding your parents… _Legilimens_."

Hikari gasped as she felt something probing her mind, filing through her memories, all the way back to when she found out that her dad was missing. "STOP!" Suddenly, she began to glow.

A light burst from her, throwing both Cander and Xally away. With that, the spells cast over the group broke.

"Xal!" Glacies ran to her adopted sister.

"G-glacies…" the young girl gasped.

Cander stood to his feet. "You brat!" He froze as he saw the same girl he called a 'demon of a daughter' coming right for him, Keyblade at the ready.

With a final snarl, he vanished, in a pop.

By the time they returned to the village, after helping Xally get over what she had done, which took quite a long time, the vikings had already left, along with Toothless. Even Hiccup and all the younger vikings were gone by this time.

"We don't know where they went." Patria huffed. "We have absolutely nothing to go on. We should go… well, if we knew were the Keyhole was."

Justin held up a hand, "Actually, while we were searching for Blaze, I found it. It's actually in Gobber's workshop, in the back of the forge. "Since we were so focused on finding her…" he pulled the lock piece out of his pocket.

"Justin! You are my hero!" Glacies hugged him.

Yuyake sighed. "I hate to leave just now, but, I may not be a former Jedi, I do have a feeling that Hiccup can handle things from here."

"Same here…"

* * *

Yuyake laughed as the Terrible Terror leapt on him, licking his face. "Ok! I missed you too, Kindle."

"How's Blaze?"

Brimstone came into the room. "She's exhausted and weak. Right now, she's asleep."

"Maybe," Pith smiled. "We should head back to Radiant Garden. Uncle Ansem, Even, and Ienzo can take a look at her, and help."

"Good idea…"

* * *

Roxas blinked, easily recognizing where he was: The Castle that Never Was. "What!?"

"You thought that you could escape us, Roxas, but you will never get away."

"Xemnas!?" The man jumped to his feet, only for a number of Dusks to come out and entangle him in their lanky bodies. "You're dead! You should be dead!"

The man smirked. "So you thought… but my darkness never dies, unlike certain family members of yours…"

He stepped to the side, revealing two limp, dead, figures. "NO!" Roxas cried out, tears brimming in his eyes. "YUYAKE! XION!"

Xemnas walked over to the boy and woman, who's bodies lay near a sheer drop to the lower levels of the castle. "Such painful thing, feelings are. I am glad I do not feel them; you do not have that privilege…" The Nobody placed his foot on Xion's back and shoved her off the drop-off.

"NO! XION! STOP! PLEASE! PLEASE, STOP… PLEASE!"

"Yes, beg, beg for their lives…" He shoved Yuyake's body over the edge, despite the angered, saddened cries of Roxas. Xemnas dismissed the Dusks but summoned dark chains that constricted the man. "Now, you will join your family…"

Roxas cried out, as his former boss knocked him to the ground. With a shove, Xemnas sent the man falling over the drop, the ground coming up fast… Roxas closed his eyes, tears streaming from them.

"Yuyake… Xion… I'm sorry…"

* * *

**Here you go! **

**Please review!**

**In returning to Radiant Garden, the group encounters a famous enemy and she is after one of the members of their group.**

**In… Radiant Garden visit 3.**

* * *

**Like a child**

"Grow up"… something we are told all the time, especially as we get older.

However, the bible says different. In multiple books, Jesus says that we need to be like little children. Now, that does not mean that we need to act crazy and literally act like a child; Jesus meant for us to have faith like a child.

The simplicity of a child's faith can be more powerful than you might expect. In chapel, just yesterday, we sang the song "Jesus Loves Me", and it was such a powerful song.

As we get older we tend to complicate things,including faith, but we just need to go back to the simplicity of the child-like faith.


	20. Chapter 19: Radiant Garden visit3

**Hey guys!**

**The guest who keeps asking for me to make Patria nice, this chapter will actually help with why I made her so mean, for I do it on purpose. I want you to be mad at her for being the way she is.**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Final Fantasy 4 characters (c) to Square Enix!**

**Sasuke and Hinata (c) to Yaamichaos27!**

**All the other OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 19:Radiant Garden visit 3**

* * *

Brimstone and Ryô sat beside Blaze, who lay asleep in her own bed, back in Radiant Garden. Sera bustled in and out, making sure her daughter was comfortable.

The blind woman eventually sat down beside the children. "Oh, my poor little girl…"

"She'll be fine, Mom." Brim hugged his mother. "Don't worry, she's strong."

* * *

Patria kicked a can as she strolled through the moonlit streets, however the sun was just beginning to peak over the edges of houses. She barely slept the whole night.

"Hey sis." She jumped at her twin's voice.

"Don't do that, Pith! You startled me."

Her brother, as well as Isa, stood behind her. The man sighed. "You shouldn't be wandering around alone, at this hour. The Heartless are more active during the darker hours."

"I can handle myself, thank you…" Patria rolled her eyes. A new figure caught her attention; Sasuke sat atop a building, watching as the moon made its way downward, toward the horizon.

Pith and Isa noticed him too. "He's out here again…?"

"What's he doing?" the boy cocked his head. "And why does he look depressed… is something wrong?"

Isa sighed. "If I had to wager a guess, he must be thinking about his wife and adopted daughter."

"Oh yea… Mom told us about that. Why haven't we seen them yet, because weren't they supposed to move here from their own world?"

"That was the plan," the blue-haired man kept his eyes on his childhood friend. "Sasuke came ahead of them to make sure everything was ready, but, unfortunately, that was when the worlds seal off and he was separated from them."

The older twin gave a low whistle. "That really sucks…"

Her brother nodded. "Then they haven't seen each other for five years. I can't imagine how that feels."

"Once a month, he would stand out all night and stare at the moon." Isa told them. "When anyone spoke with him, it was like he couldn't hear them. We could only assume that he was thinking about his family."

Patria tensed. "He's just as worried about his family, as we are for our parents…"

"Not only that, but Sasuke was looking forward to seeing them, once the worlds reconnected, but things got so crazy that he didn't have the chance to go get them. Also, watching over Ignis, as much as he likes it, makes him sad because it reminds him of his daughter.

Sasuke stirred as the moon vanished, and the sun came up. The morning light reflected off the tears that stained his cheeks. It broke the twins' hearts to see their godfather like this. "Is there anything we can do for him?"

"I mean, we could go and get them and bring them here." Patria shrugged.

Suddenly, that the morning light was cut off by a huge shadow. "What the heck!?"

Sasuke jumped up at the sight, his eyes lighting up. "I-it can't be…"

"Let's go after it!" Patria summoned her Keyblade and charged after the large, flying object.

"Wait! Don't! It's not an enemy!" The black-haired soldier leapt across the rooftops, after the object, with the twins and Isa following.

As they reached the Outer Gardens, they could see the thing, now recognizable as a flying boat, an airship, lowering down towards the ground.

The airship's arrival drew the attention of many other people, drawing a crowd. Ansem the Wise stood at the head of the group.

The ship set itself down and Sasuke ran forward, excitedly, standing near the bow of the ship. A door opened and a ramp lowered to the ground. A single figure came striding down the ramp; the figure, a woman with emerald green hair and blue eyes, wearing a red hairpin and a dark green dress.

Her eyes stared happily at the nearby soldier. "It's been a long time… Sasuke."

"Indeed it has… Rydia." After a moment of silence, the woman ran to Sasuke, who caught her into his arms, before they shared a deep kiss. "I-I've missed you s-so much."

"I missed you too, my love…"

Ansem turned to Dilan and Aeleus, and they ushered the crowd away, save the Keybearers and castle staff. The reconnected lovers didn't really seem to notice any of the movement around them. "Sorry I haven't visited," Sasuke rested his forehead against Rydia's. "After the worlds were reconnected, things have gotten out of hand."

"It's ok." The woman giggled. "I know you wouldn't have stayed away, if it wasn't important. The eidolons told me the worlds had reconnected and I decided to come and surprise you."

The man chuckled. "Well, you've really taken a load off my shoulders. It's great to see you again, and to know that you are safe. You have no idea how worried I was."

"I've been doing fine; I'm a summoner remember?" She pulled him into another kiss.

"You two need to get a room." They turned to see a teenage girl with teal hair, topaz eyes, wearing a lavender dress.

"Cuore!? Is that you!?" The man let go of his wife and approached the girl. "My, you've grown since I last saw you." He wrapped his arms around her. "You know, the more you look like your mother, the more people are gonna doubt that you're adopted."

Ansem the Wise approached his great-great nice and nephew. "I can't believe they're really here."

"It's good to see Sasuke happy and with his family again."

"Yes, it is…"

Sasuke looked down and saw a small girl hiding behind his adopted daughter. "And who is this?"

"Oh," Rydia took the child's hand, leading her into the open. The girl looked up at him with her bright blue eyes, peaking out from behind her black hair and green bangs; she fidgeted with her black leotard and green, uneven, skirt. "Don't be shy, darling."

"M-Mommy…" the girl clung to the woman's leg, staring nervously up at Sasuke. "Who dat?"

"This is someone very special." Rydia pushed the girl forward, gently. "Hinata… I would like you to meet… your Daddy."

"W-what!?" Sasuke straightened up, in shock.

"D-Daddy?"

The man stared at his wife. "Is she…?" His voice choked as she nodded. "Rydia… I had no idea you were…"

"I found out before we were supposed to move. I was going to tell you once we got here, but well, you know how that turned out…"

Sasuke blinked the tears in his eyes away as he knelt down. "Hey there, cutie. Hinata, was it? I-it's really nice to meet you." He held a hand out to her. "Wanna come to Daddy?"

The little girl slowly took his hand, staring into his eyes, before her expression melted into a smile. "Daddy!" She ran into his arms, and Sasuke lost it, as tears of joy began running down his face.

Ansem watched this exchange with a smile. "Isa, make sure the Mae quarters are set up."

"Sir?"

"When they were supposed to move here, Kairi told me that she wanted them to have her family's apartment. I want to honor that…"

* * *

Hikari sat in the town square, holding an ice cream bar. She was genuinely happy for Sasuke, but it made her miss her dad more.

She watched as Sasuke's youngest daughter played in the flowers, with her father sitting nearby.

"Kari?" Yuyake sat beside her. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Yea… I just really want my Daddy."

"Don't worry," the older boy hugged her, from the side. "We're getting closer. Merlin said we only need six more lock pieces to make the lock and find our parents."

The younger girl didn't respond. Leaping down from her seat, she walked away. Yuyake moved to follow, but he felt it best to leave her alone.

* * *

"Yake, have you seen Kari?"

"She was kind of down earlier, and wanted to be alone." He responded.

Patria looked out at the setting sun. "If she's not back by dark, I'm gonna go look for her."

"I'll join you, sis." Pith nodded.

"Ok, fine…"

* * *

Hikari sat in the crystal cavern of the great maw; she couldn't help but cry.

"Hey, are you ok?"

The girl looked up to see Cuore. "I'm fine…"

"No you're not," the teal-haired girl sat beside her. "I may not be able to comprehend all emotions, but I can comprehend yours."

"Just leave me alone…"

Cuore sighed and sat, silently, beside the Keybearer. "What are you even doing here, Cuore? I thought you'd be catching up with Sasuke."

"I like to be alone sometimes, and a walk is good for that." The girl smirked. "Besides, he and Mom need some time to themselves."

Suddenly, a deep laugh echoed through he cavern, "What's this? Two little chickies, all by their lonesome." Heartless rose up around the two girls as Pete came lumbering into view.

"Pete!" Hikari summoned her Keyblade. "Go away! Don't make me kick your butt."

"And what about your friend? If you attack me, she gets it." The Heartless closed in on Cuore.

The older girl grimaced. "You don't have to worry about me. I can handle things here." A bright light filled the room and a female figure, with insect wings appeared. "Sylph! Go get my dad!"

The eidolon flew off into the sky. As soon as the creature vanished, a dark figure hit Cuore on the back of the neck, knocking her out.

"No!" Hikari swung her Keyblade at the figure, who grabbed it, twisting the sword out of her grip.

"Don't even try it, little one." A man, dressed in black, and covered in scars, stood before her.

"Diaval!" The girl pulled away, but Diaval grabbed her arms, twisting them behind her back.

"Pete, report to her ladyship. I'll take this one to the dungeon." Hikari screamed as a dark corridor enveloped her and the man.

* * *

Ignis ran around the room, chasing little Hinata, in a game of tag.

Rydia leaned on her husband's shoulder, telling him of all that had taken place, back in her home world. "By the way, Edge didn't believe we'd ever see you again."

"Oh really?"

"He kept trying to convince me of that," she nodded. "He wanted to win my affections from you."

"Rydia… do you think King Cecil will mind if I come to his world and kill a certain ninja?"

His wife laughed, as did everyone else, around them. "You two sure are cute together." Glacies smiled, albeit sadly. Sasuke reuniting with his family just reminded all the kids about their parents.

The two little children stopped as a glowing figure flew into the room, alighting before Rydia. "Sylph?" She listened as the figure spoke in a strange tongue. "What!?"

"What is it?"

"Cuore and Hikari are in danger!"She grabbed her husband's hand. "We've gotta find them!"

Sasuke slung his sword over his shoulder. "Patria and Pith went out to find Hikari; we can catch up. Glacies, keep an eye on Hinata." With that, the two ran out.

* * *

Patria paused, in her search. She was looking around one area of the great maw; suddenly she felt a deep and strong darkness, coming from the Dark Depths.

She snarled, for she recognized this stench. "Maleficent…"

With that, she ran towards the depths, ignoring the unconscious she entered the depths, she saw Hikari being dragged by Diaval.

"Hey!" the older twin charged the man. "Let her go!"

"Hmph… why if it isn't Sora and Kairi's brat." He threw the little girl to the side. "MY mistress would rather have you than this little one."

"Yea right…" Patria summoned her Keyblade and charged Diaval.

* * *

Pith looked up as he heard loud sounds of combat, coming from the Dark Depths. "Oh boy… she's at it again."

"Pith!" Sasuke and Rydia came running up to him. "Have you seen Cuore?"

"No… but Patria got herself into a fight. I bet Cuore is near there."

The three hurried through the valley, and into the crystal cavern. "Cuore!" Rydia gathered up the girl, in her arms. "She's ok, just unconscious."

The sounds of battle became louder and fiercer. "Sounds like Patria's going all out on whoever she's fighting." The man looked at the two females. "Take Cuore back. We'll handle things here."

As they entered the depths,Hikari lay near the entrance, unconscious. Pith looked at his godfather. "I can handle Patria. Do you think you could…?"

"I'll take Hikari back, but you be careful. There's a huge amount of darkness coming from that fight, and I'm sure some of it is Patria's…"

* * *

Patria took a deep breath, Diaval was quite the challenging opponent, and she was growing angry.

"Why don't you give up!?"

"Why don't you?" The man grabbed her sword, but she kicked him in the face. Diaval wiped blood from his mouth. "Maleficent was right. You would be the perfect servant for her… your darkness is so powerful, and so strong."

Patria growled. "Don't you dare compare me to her…"

"Why," He smirked. "You are so alike; I knew her when she was younger. You remind me of her…"

"I AM NOTHING LIKE HER!" The girl began breathing deeply and, without her knowledge, darkness began seeping from her body. "Never compare me to her…"

"Why? You are so much like her."

The girl let out a primal roar and dismissed her weapon, bolting forward with unimaginable speed. Diaval couldn't block as the girl grabbed his shirt, slamming him into the ground.

Her fist bashed into his face multiple times. She heard his nose break and her fist became bloody; as she drew back to land another punch, a blast of green fire sent her flying backwards.

Patria jumped to her feet, snarling as she made eye contact with Maleficent herself. "YOU!"

"Well, well," she smirked. "Now you should your true colors. You truly are an instrument of the darkness."

"SHUT UP!" Patria ran at the witch, full of anger and hatred.

The woman vanished in green fire, as did Diaval, but her voice lingered for a moment. "Remember, you belong to the darkness…"

The girl snarled, anger welling up inside her. "Tria…?" A soft voice reached her ears, full of fear, sadness, and concern. She turned to see her twin brother, staring at her.

Pith saw his sister, with darkness oozing from her, a dark expression on her face. Slowly, he approached her, a hand outstretched. However, her expression remained angry.

"Patria… Sis… please, it's me, your brother." His hand soon touched hers, and the darkness slowly faded from around her.

Patria wobbled a little before her eyes closed, and she collapsed. Her brother caught her. He held his sister close… how could this have happened?

* * *

The group looked up as Pith came in, carrying his unconscious twin on his back.

"What happened?" Ansem asked, fearful for his great-great niece.

Pith bit his lip. "Well, she… she lost a fight with Diaval and Maleficent."

"Oh boy…" Brim sighed. "She's gonna be mad about that, when she wakes up."

"How are Hikari and Cuore?"

Sasuke smiled. "They're both awake and fine."

"I'm gonna lay Tria down and wait until she wakes up. I'll be there when she wakes up, to spare all you her fury."

* * *

Patria tossed and turned, letting out a small shriek as she sat up.

"Sis." Pith laid a hand on hers. "It's ok… you're safe."

"Where am I, Pith?"

"Back at the castle. Don't worry." He took her hand. The girl grimaced, clutching her head, in pain. "What's wrong?"

"My head…" she shook it off. "How'd I get back here and what happened to me?"

"You mean, you don't remember?"

"Not a thing," she sighed. "I remember that we went out to find Hikari and… that's it. I don't remember anything else."

Pith gave a sigh of relief. "Well, at least you're ok. You got in a fight with Maleficent and Diaval; they beat you and gave you a nasty knock on the head. That's probably what messed up your memory." He smiled. "Now you should get some rest. It'll have Justin and Xally time to locate the next lock piece."

"Thanks bro…" Patria laid down, watching as he twin left the room. The moment the door shut, and she was alone, her smile dropped. "What have I done?" The girl curled up on herself and began to cry.

* * *

Justin sat, quietly meditating, as two tiny sets of feet came running past; Ignis and Hinata seemed to have unlimited energy. However, the boy kept himself composed, focusing on his meditation.

"Excuse me," his calm voice broke through the noise. "I've detected another lock piece; its located in Enchanted Dominion."

"Isn't that Maleficent's home world?"

"Yes," Isa nodded.

Ansem and Sasuke looked at Pith. "Is Patria able to go?"

"I think she'll be fine." The boy smiled. "She'll be up and ready to go by tomorrow, and if her temper flares, we'll all be there to calm her back down."

Ansem the Wise took a deep breath. He trusted Pith, completely. "Alright, you kids should depart in the morning, if Patria is completely well."

"Ok!" Pith smiled, but underneath he shuddered. He may have been a good actor, but the curse of that was, that he was a good liar too.

Honestly, he had no idea what his sister would do if she saw Maleficent again, but he was more scared of what would happen if he told what he saw.

Right now, all he could do is hope and pray that all goes well…

* * *

**I'm gonna let you just hang out here until next chapter.**

**For those of you who don't know, Rydia and Cuore are from Final Fantasy 4 and Final Fantasy 4: The After Years.**

**If you want to know the story, check out Yamichaos27's story ****_"Moonlit Knights"_****. You guys really should go read it; it is AMAZING!**

**I don't think a teaser is necessary for the next chapter.**

* * *

**Plans for You**

Sometimes, we look to the future and have no idea where it'll lead.

It's natural to worry about what is to come. However, we don't need to.

God is all knowing and knows the beginning and the end.

All we need do is ask, and he can guide our steps, to what he has planned for us.

Just as it is said in Jeremiah 29:11-

_"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"_

All we need do is ask, and God will help us.


	21. Chapter 20: Enchanted Dominion

**Are you guys ready!?**

**This is a short chapter, but it reveals much. I hope you guys enjoy this. **

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**All my OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Enchanted Dominion**

* * *

Pith lay in bed, his mind in turmoil. What was he to do about his sister? "Dad… what would you do?"

His eyes closed, and his dreams came alive…

* * *

_Pith sat on the paopu tree, staring out at the ocean. A familiar voice reached his ears, making his heart leap. "Hey Pith…"_

_"Dad!?"_

_Sora came over, smiling, "Hey, son." He grinned widely, "What's going on?"_

_"Dad!" the boy jumped down, embracing his father._

_"Heh… calm down, kiddo." He paused as he heard sobbing. "What is it?"_

_"I don't know what to do… it's Tria. She-she…"_

_Sora wrapped his arms around his son. "I know, kiddo. I know what's going on. You need help with this; that's what I'm here for."_

_The two sat on the tree, Sora removing his son's hat to ruffle the boy's hair. "Dad… give me my hat."_

_"Ok," He sighed. "Pith, all you can do for your sister is be there. She needs your support. She's scared and angry, both things will make her decisions irrational. Just be there for her."_

_"Ok… Dad, I know this is just a dream but, thank you…"_

* * *

Patria leaned against the wall, eyes closed, relaxing as Glacies said goodbye to her brother.

"Now, you be good, and take care of Hinata."

Ignis looked over at the little girl in Sasuke's arms. "Why?"

"Because," his sister grinned. "She's really cute and needs someone to make sure no evil people come after her. Can you do that?"

"Uh huh!"

Ansem the Wise leaned over to his great-great nephew. "Pith, take care of your sister."

"I will…"

* * *

The group landed on Enchanted Dominion, right before a large, beautiful castle. A person was walking away from them, towards the palace. The person turned, giving a small gasp.

"Oh…!"

The figure was a girl of sixteen or so, with beautiful brown hair, pinned up by a pink rose. Her dress was a deep violet, with pink and blue accents.

"Hello…" Glacies smiled at the girl. "My name is Keyblade Master Glacies; who are you?"

The girl brushed a lock of brown hair, behind her ear before curtsying. "I'm Princess Rosetta. It's an honor to meet a wielder of a Keyblade. I'm certain my mother and father would absolutely love to see you."

"Sister!" a boy, with hair of sunshine gold, dressed in a white shirt, black pants, black boots, and a blue vest. "Father and Mother are looking for you… wait, who are they?"

"Brother, they are Keyblade wielders; Mother and Father will want to see them!" The girl waved them to follow her, and they did.

As they entered the castle, a beautiful woman, hair like sunshine gold, sat beside a brown-haired man, dressed in red. They both wore brilliant crowns on their heads. The man stood. "Paul, Rosetta, who are these guests?"

"Father," the princess smiled. "These are Keyblade wielders!"

The man looked a little surprised, a smile spreading across his face. "Well then, you are welcome here! I am King Phillip, and this is my wife, Aurora."

The children all bowed, introducing themselves.

Aurora came down to them. "As my husband said, you are all welcome here. Now, the sun is beginning to go down, and we would be honored if you'd join us for supper."

"The honor is ours."

* * *

Pith watched his sister closely; they'd scoured the castle for the Keyhole and it was not there. The entire time, Patria acted very docile and controlled, not even speaking about Maleficent once.

"So, where do you think that stupid Keyhole could be?"

"No idea, Brim," Ryô sighed.

Justin stood up. "Well, usually, the Keyhole is in somewhere inconspicuous, but usually significant. We can check the town, but I think we'd have better luck at the woodcutter's cottage or Maleficent's castle."

"I'll go check out Maleficent's place," Patria stood up, heading for the door.

"By yourself?"

"Uh, yea," she rolled her eyes. "I'm just going to sneak around and find the Keyhole; anyone else will just slow me down." With that, she turned, heading for the door.

Pith jumped to his feet. "What's this really about, Sis!?"

"What?"

"You don't want to go to Maleficent's castle to find the Keyhole, you wanna go and find her! You want to take her down, on your own!" He approached her. "We both know what this is really about, and you are going to get yourself into trouble, or even injured. I'm not going to let you do this!"

Patria stood there, silently, before turning around and walking out of the room. Pith went after her, but his twin continued walking. "Go away…"

"Not until you stop!"

They boy had absolutely no time to react, as Patria turned on him, her fist slamming into his nose, knocking him on his backside. Blood streamed from his nostrils as he cried out in pain. The girl leaned over him. "Leave me alone, and, if you want to live, stay out of my way…!"

The girl took off running, not looking back.

* * *

Patria summoned her Keyblade as she walked through the dark, morbid hallways of the Forbidden Mountain. The girl glanced around, smirking, as she saw Maleficent's minions cowering from her.

Her steps halted as Diaval stepped from the shadows. "Hello, young lady."

"What do you want?!"

He only bowed, "I was sent to lead you; my lady is expecting you." He turned into a crow, cawing at her to follow.

The girl did so, the bird leading her into the throne room before flying away. Maleficent sat on her throne, smiling wickedly down at the girl. "Ah, welcome, young one."

"Cut the crap! What do you want!?"

"What do you want?" the witch stood. "I know that you want something to do with me."

Patria grit her teeth; Maleficent seemed so calm, so smug, and it made her furious. "You know what I want… I hate you! I hate you for what you've done to my family!"

"Oh, child, you weren't even born when that happened…"

"AND I ALMOST NEVER WAS!" The girl screamed. "You cursed my mother and killed my unborn sibling! Because of you, my twin and I were almost never born! Because of you, my family has struggled emotionally! BECAUSE OF YOU, my mom can't ever celebrate mother's day without slipping into depression at the thought of her lost baby!" She stormed up the stone steps, towards the woman. "Except, she didn't lose a baby, the baby was taken from her. You killed my sibling!"

Maleficent smirked. "You poor child… you have no idea what you're doing…"

"I'm gonna kill you! I'm pretty certain I know what I'm doing."

The witch summoned a meteor, making the girl jump off the dais. "He was right about you, child. The naivety of your family is astounding…"

"What?"

"Oh, child, so angry about something so insignificant." Maleficent laughed. "What is the death of a single child, especially one who hasn't taken their first breath? Why your mother felt so bad about a useless piece of flesh, just proves that she was a stupid as her husband, and you are just as foolish." Her smirk widened as the girl below her, began shaking with fury, but she did not stop. "Though, despite this, we are very alike… the anger you hold within is close to what I had when I first began. Perhaps, with your parents gone, I should take you as my own apprentice… it is the best thing for people… like us…"

"SHUT UP! I HATE YOU! I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU! I'LL DIE BEFORE I WORK WITH YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Patria roared, eyes aflame with fury.

Suddenly, her body jerked, a pain welling up in the girl's chest. She screamed, clutching the area over her heart, before falling to her knees.

Her eyes went from fury to absolute terror. "Wh-what did you do to me!?"

"I did nothing…" Maleficent chuckled. "You did this on your own. You became so angry that you broke the seal on your own heart…"

"S-seal?"

The witch stood up. "Yes, he mentioned that he sealed you heart, preventing your mother from sensing what was inside you." She laughed. "Who knew that it would be so easy? He said that all he needed to do is seal your heart and then, pump darkness into you, bit by bit. Now your heart is so full of darkness it's ready to overflow; all it needed was for you to tap into it, and you just did…"

Patria doubled over as the pain in her chest became worse and worse. Someone had been putting darkness inside her? What was going on? "P-please… make it stop…!"

"The darkness is taking you… why would I stop that?" She summoned a dark corridor. "As much as I wish to see you suffer, he told me that you would be too dangerous, and that man has been right, so far…"

Patria watched her vanish into the darkness, before looking down at her shaking hands. "Th-this isn't real… it can't be real…" Her eyes widened as dark wisps rose up from her skin. She felt the cold darkness surrounding her, the hate and rage penetrating every part of her being.

"NO! I DON'T WANT THIS!" She screamed as tendrils of darkness streamed from her, in every direction. She began crying, her tears black, leaving dark streaks across her cheeks. "HELP ME! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!"

Her darkness began to pool beneath her and she sank down. Patria gasped, trying to free herself. "NO! HELP ME!" The darkness closed over her face, and everything went dark. In the darkness, a voice hissed in her mind, terrifying her to the very core…

_**"And now… you belong to me…"**_

* * *

Pith touched his nose; he was glad that Cure spells could fix broken noses, but the dried blood still caked his nostrils.

He approached the forbidden mountain, cautiously. He'd felt darkness growing stronger as he approached. The dark corridors lay abandoned.

The hair on Pith's neck stood up as a blood curdling scream wrenched the air. "Tria…!" He ran through the building; his steps halted as he saw his sister.

The girl was sinking in a pool of darkness, darkness coming from herself. "NO HELP ME!"

Pith looked around, seeing rope laying on the ground. He tied the cord around a pillar and ran toward his sister. By this point, her head was just disappearing beneath the swirling darkness.

"NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE MY SISTER!" He dove into the dark, after her.

The cold blackness clung to the boy as he struggled towards his twin; the girl drifted downward, deeper into the darkness, eyes closed.

The boy reached out, managing to grab her wrist. He pulled her to him, tying the rope around them both. "I won't let the darkness have you!" He pulled himself and his twin back up, towards the light.

Out of the pool of darkness, a hand reached out, grabbing the rope and pulling. Patria and Pith emerged from the inky blackness, just as the darkness faded away.

The girl shuddered as a dark aura covered her. Her trembling stopped as a hand touched hers. "P-p-pith…?"

"I've got you sis…" The boy pulled her close, hugging her to him. "I've got you…"

Patria clutched her twin's shirt before she passed out…

* * *

"Wait? What?" Glacies sighed. "Patria lost to Maleficent, again?"

"OH, she's gonna be livid!"

Pith nodded. "Yea, she lost another fight and got hurt. I took her to the gummi ship and I'm gonna go back and talk to her; I'll try to calm her down before you get back to the ship."

"We'll find the Keyhole," Xally nodded. "You take care of your sister."

Pith nodded and allowed the light of the gummi ship to take him upwards. He hurried to his sister's room, where she lay, sweating. Taking up a wet cloth, he wiped her face. "Oh sis, what happened to you…?"

The girl moaned, rolling over in her bed. She opened her eyes, glazed and frightened; her body tensing until her brother's hand slipped into her own.

"Patria… calm down… I'm here." He smiled. "It's ok, sis…"

"P-pith…"

Said boy, smoothed her hair, kindly. "Yea, sis, I'm right here." The girl closed her eyes, gripping her twin's hand. "Tria, I-I want, no, I need you to tell me what happened."

"No… I can't… please don't make me…" Patria stammered.

Pith bit his lip as tears filled his eyes. He couldn't bear seeing his sister like this; the normally proud girl, filled with enough spirit to rival anyone else's, lay broken and fearful before him. Seeing her, in this state, broke his heart.

"Patria, please," the boy clenched his fists. "You're my sister and I just want to help you. I saw what happened… I saw all the darkness coming from you… I saw you get pulled into the dark… I jumped in after you and dragged you out… please, tell me what's happening!"

His sister turned to look at him, a look of true fear and sorrow on her face. "Y-you did…?"

"Please tell me what's going on. I'm scared for you."

Patria closed her eyes as her twin pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry… I-I hate feeling this way… I hate feeling weak…" her body began to shudder. "Pith, someone… I don't know who, but someone told Maleficent about me. Th-they said that I have a seal on my heart; whoever this person is, th-they've been pumping darkness into my heart…"

"Tria…"

"Th-that's why I'm the way I am. I have so much darkness inside me… if I don't expend some, like when I fight at school, get angry, or even when I am mean to you. If I don't expend some of the darkness, I'll, well… you just saw me explode…" Patria clung to her brother's shirt.

Pith bit his lip, tightening his embrace on the girl. That explained everything: her attitude, her actions, and the way she treated others. She knew that her darkness built up in a certain way and had to account for that; all her actions, they were to control that darkness.

"Tria, I'm so sorry…" He sighed. "Is there anything I can do?"

The older twin lay silent for a moment before whispering. "Just let me die… I'm a dangerous loose cannon; if I were to explode around the others, I could kill one of them… I could kill you. I've tapped into the darkness and there is nothing I can do to stop it."

"No!" Pith pushed Patria into a sitting position, staring into her eyes. "You can fight this! I won't let you loose to the darkness." He smiled, kindly. "I promise, I won't tell the others what I've seen; no one will know about your darkness, and I'll be here to help you control it."

The girl looked downward,with a sad smile. "Look at me… I'm the oldest; I'm supposed to be the one looking after you, my little brother, but look at you, trying to take care of me…"

"We're siblings, it's what we do, we take care of each other…"

"Yea, I guess we do…" Patria close her eyes, hugging her twin back, though the thought of the darkness within her, brought her true terror, but her brother's support gave her an peace that she'd never had before. "So, are you going to tell the others? What about Uncle Ansem or Sasuke?"

The younger twin sighed. "No… we can handle this ourselves. If anyone found out about your darkness…" He closed his eyes. "Don't worry, sis. I won't tell anyone about this, I promise!"

"Thank you… Pith…"

* * *

Glacies looked at Pith. "So, she's just exhausted?"

"Yea." The boy nodded with a smile. "The battle really took a toll on her. If there's a world nearby, with a lock piece, that's familiar and calm, we should go there, for her sake."

The Keyblade Master smiled. "Well then, it's fortunate that Xally sensed a lock piece in Neverland."

"That'll be perfect…"

Glacies watched her friend leave; something about his story didn't feel right, but what could he have to lie about?

* * *

Kairi opened her eyes to see a gray darkness around her. "Sora? Patria? Pith?"

"Hello, Mom…" the woman looked up to see her oldest child standing before her.

"Patria, what's going on?" She stood up. "Where are we?"

The girl laughed, a dark, frightening laugh. "Oh mom… does it really matter?" Darkness surrounded Patria. "You're gonna die anyways."

"No…"

"Accept it, Princess," came an old voice. "Your daughter belongs to me now."

Kairi turned to the other speaker. "No! It can't be! It can't…!"

"Oh yes," came the voice of Patria. "It can." She held out a hand to her mother, and darkness entrapped the woman.

The woman cried out as the inky blackness covered her. "Why…? Why is this happening…?"

* * *

**Ladies and gentlemen! **

**Now you know Patria's dark secret.**

**Please review!**

**The group arrives to find that things are not quite as peaceful as they hoped. They will face trials and one of them will have to reveal their deepest secret…**

**In Neverland!**

* * *

**Supernatural**

Getting sick and injured seems to be a part of life some times, if it's the spring cold, or a little paper cut.

However, we do not have to live with disease. God promised in his word that he can heal us, and that so sickness is too powerful for him.

I've heard testimony of God curing people of cancer, blind eyes being healed, even of limbs growing back.

On Monday night, a friend of mine went to a church service; this friend had Celiac disease, which prevented her from eating gluten, or she could die.

That night, a woman, who had never met her before, prayed specifically for her condition, an afterwords, my friend went out and ate mozzarella sticks, for the first time in years.

I watched her eat a pizza, and all weeks she's been going on about how she ate macaroni, or some other food she couldn't eat before.

The only treatment for this disease, by the word of science, is just to live a life eating gluten-free, but my friend has been completely healed by the power of God.

No matter what inflicts your body, whether it be a simple cold, or cancer, God has the power to heal you.

* * *

Everyone, I know we've all heard about what happened in Paris; so, I encourage all of you to keep Paris in your prayers.


	22. Chapter 21: Neverland

**Hi everyone! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!**

**Guys, I need some help. I'm trying to find theme songs for each of the main characters in this story. **

**I have songs for every person… well every person but two: Pith and Justin. So, if you could please help me out by finding theme songs for them. If I pick yours, I will either draw a picture on Deviantart or write a one-shot of your request as reward (but the request must be KH related, nothing that will be rated over T, and no Yaoi or Yuri). **

**Please help me out!**

**Now, in this chapter, fans of the Tinker Bell movies AND Once Upon a Time are gonna be happy.**

**Now, onto the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Neverland**

* * *

Pith stared at his twin as she slept; had he done the right thing in agreeing to keep her darkness a secret? It was very strong within her, but as long as she expelled the right amount, it was no threat. However, they needed to find whoever put the seal on her heart and was pumping her full of darkness.

If this had been 20 years before, the culprit would have most likely been Xehanort, but was even he this powerful? From all the stories, Pith figured that he had been a master of deceit and could only do things to people's heart, if they let him in or were at a weak point where he could infiltrate their heart.

Whoever did this to Patria was certainly stronger than Xehanort. If he told someone about this, such as Uncle Ansem or Sasuke, they could begin a search for such a person. However, there was Patria… how would she be treated because of her darkness? It would be like Blaze was now; after her explosion in Duloc, she used her knives to fight and not her fire. No one wanted her to be near them in a fight, lest she explode. It would be worse for his sister, with her uncontrollable darkness. Sure, some people would understand, but most would be driven away. He really didn't want that for her.

So, until the time was right, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

His sister groaned as she awoke. "Pith?"

"I'm here sis…"

"Are we going back to Radiant Garden?" The girl asked, sighing as her twin shook his head "Where are we heading, then?"

"Neverland." He smiled as his sister did the same.

Her eyes lit up. "We're gonna get to fly!"

"Yea, now you need to get up and take a shower before we go down there." The boy began laughing as she scowled.

Patria rolled over. "You're not my dad."

Pith grabbed the sheets and pulled them off her. "Get up, or no flying!"

"Fine!"

* * *

Patria entered the main room, only to find everyone staring at her. "Ok… what's going on here?"

"Nothing," Justin assured. "We were just waiting for you."

"Ok," the older twin smiled. The sight of a genuine smile on her face stunned the others. "It'll be good to get some rest here."

Glacies returned the smile. "That sounds wonderful."

* * *

The group all took a deep breath as the sea air entered their lungs. "Man! I can really breathe out here!"

"Now, let's find Tinkerbell," Patria looked around. "I wanna fly."

"Man," Brim leaned over to Pith,"Your sister sure is calm…"

The younger twin smirked. "That's because she's tired; she'll be back to her normal self by tomorrow."

"Oh yea…"

They began walking away from the shore and more inland. Suddenly they heard the laughter of children coming from just inside the tree line. Peaking through the foliage, they could see a bunch of boys, dressed like animals playing, what seemed to be, tag with multiple fairies.

One of the fairies, dressed in purple, stopped, catching the attention of the others. She pointed at the group hiding in the trees. The boys noticed them too and began to panic. "AMBUSH!"

"Uh oh…" Ryô stepped out from cover, hands up. "Hold on! We're friends!"

"Oh yea, prove it." A boy in green came flying down from the sky.

"Excuse me," Glacies stepped out, with the others following. "You're Peter Pan, right?"

"You bet I am!"

The Keyblade Master smiled. "My name's Glacies; my parents are Terra and Aqua."

"Oh!" Peter's face broke into a huge smile! "Well then, who are the rest of you?"

After introductions, Peter and the Lost Boys stood there smiling widely. "You guys are gonna love it here!"

"So, I'm gonna guess that the fairy in green, beside you is the famous Tinkerbell." Blaze smirked, "but who are the other fairies?"

The flying boy smiled. "They're Tink's friends from Pixie Hollow. There's Silvermist, Fawn, Vidia, Iridessa, Rosetta, Terrance, Bobble, and Clank."

"I didn't know there were guy fairies," Pith commented, looking at Terrance, Bobble, and Clank.

One of the Lost Boys spoke up. "They're not called fairies, they're called sparrowmen."

"Oh, my bad…"

"Peter," Xally said. "I hate to interrupt the mood, but we're actually here on a mission; we need to get to the Keyhole."

"Isn't that think up on the clock tower in London?"

Justin nodded. "Yea, we need one or two people to go there and get something from it."

The boy in green grinned. "Sure, I understand. I'd be happy to take some two of you there, so would Tink."

"I'll go," Patria offered.

"Same here," Blaze stepped up beside her.

The largest Lost Boy, Tubby, frowned. "Aw, but Pan, what about our game?"

"We'll play when I get back, and this time we'll have some more friends to play with us." Peter looked at his fairy companion. "Common Tink." Tinkerbell looked at the two girls before turning to Peter, making a bell-like noise as she spoke. "Aw, come on Tink. It's just two girls."

Terrance flew over to Tink and spoke to her, the tinkling of bells filling the silence for a time. There came a moment of silence, where Tinkerbell turned away, arms crossed. The little sparrowman seemed to sigh before flying over to Patria and Blaze, sprinkling Pixie dust all over them.

"Thank you Terrance." Peter motioned for the two girls to follow. The two began to float up to where Peter awaited them.

"Tink, you coming?" Patria asked, still unusually calm. The fairy crossed her arms and turned away. "Fine… we'll go without you." With that, they three flew off into the sky.

The smallest Lost Boy walked over and pulled on Brimstone's coat. "What is it, shorty?"

The boy pointed and one of the other boys spoke up. "He wants you guys to come back to our hideout!"

"Sounds good."

* * *

Glacies sat outside the hideout, staring at the clouds. With all the little boys inside, it was so loud. She needed some quiet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement; a small Possessor Heartless floated at the edge of the clearing, however it was followed shortly by another, and then another.

"What? Did youse find it!?" A familiar figure lumbered into view.

Glacies jumped to her feet, face paling. "P-pete…"

"Gah!" the fat cat drew back. "It's you" However, his shock faded as he noticed the young Keyblade Master backing away from him. Taking a quick look behind him, just to make sure she wasn't scared of something behind him, he smirked. "Lookie here… you're not so tough, are ya?"

"I-I…"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Hey… weren't you the little kid I tried to snag years ago?" He laughed as her eyes widened. "You're still scared of me! Underneath all that training and title, you're just a scared little girl. I won't need the Heartless for this…"

Glacies stumbled back as he approached. "St-stay away!" She pulled open an entrance to the hideout and dove in, only then did she realize what she'd done. "No… I led him straight here." She ran into the main room. "Everyone! Heartless coming our way!"

The festivities stopped. "What!?"

Suddenly, Shadows, Neoshadows, and Soldiers began popping up around the room. Pith swiped at them with his Keyblade. "EVERYBODY OUT!"

A group of Darkballs blocked the largest exit. Brimstone pushed his way to the front of the group. "I've got this!" He ran his hand along the flames stitched onto his coat; they stitches began glowing. He swiped his hand forward and fire came from his coat, incinerating the monsters.

As the Lost Boys piled out, Yuyake turned to the older boy. "Brim, how did you do that?"

"Remember the stuff in Remnant called Dust? You can sew that stuff into clothing for use; a Faunus named Velvet helped me do that with Fire Dust."

Yuyake smirked. "Nice." He then followed the young children outside.

Glacies was the last one to exit the hideout. The Heartless were all gone and Hikari was doing a head-count. "Ok… and that's al…. Wait, where's Toodles?"

A bell-like sound filled the air as one of fairies, Iridessa, flew up to Hikari, pointed to their right.

"Hold on…" Hikari seemed to be concentrating. "You saw the big guy, Pete, take Toodles that way?" Iridessa nodded.

"Wait! You can understand fairies?"

"Not now!" Justin snapped. "Iridessa, lead the way."

The fairy flew ahead as the others followed. Tinkerbell flew up, ahead of her fellow fairy, followed by Bobble and Clank. The trio landed beside a small round object. Hikari knelt down beside them. "A marble…" she listened as Tink chimed out a response. "It's one of Toodle's. You three can lead now; follow the marbles."

The three tinker fairies took the lead, winding through trees and around rocky clefts, until they reached a darker, deader part of the island.

"Uh oh…" the tallest Lost Boy, Nibs, clung to Brim. "Th-this is the side of the Island Peter told us to never come to… not even Captain Hook comes here."

"That's not comforting…"

Pith cocked his head as the three fairies in front stopped at the mouth of a cave. "What's going on?"

"Tink says that Toodles is in there," Hikari shuddered. The cave gave her a bad feeling.

Nibs gasped. "Th-that's the Echo Cave…"

"Echo Cave?"

"If you go in, to save someone, everyone who goes in has to tell the truth and reveal a deep dark secret about themselves. Four people, at least, have to go in."

Xally sighed. "Well, we need to go inside… who's it gonna be?"

"You, Glacies, and I should go," Justin spoke up. "We're family; the secrets will be easier to stomach and deal with that way."

"I-I'll go too." Hikari stammered. "I'm good at keeping secrets and I don't have many, and none of them will hurt someone here."

Glacies nodded, hoping that Pete was not waiting for them inside the cave. "Ok then… we'll be back with Toodles."

The four of them entered the dark opening, the tunnel winding until it was nearly pitch black. Suddenly they came to an open room, where Toodles, locked in a bamboo cage, lay across a large chasm.

However, standing between the gap and them, was Pete. "Hello there…" He smirked as Glaces slunk back.

"Hi…" Justin summoned one of his Keyblade, sending it flying towards the fat cat. A large tusk swung in the way, knocking the sword away. A giant boar Heartless stood between them and Pete.

"Take it down!"

The Bandersnatch Heartless charged the four; Xally summoned her Keyblade, using the Force to spin it, creating a shield as the others attacked it from the side. Glacies suddenly felt a hand grab the back of her shirt, dragging her to the chasm before throwing her off the edge.

The girl grabbed at the wall, catching herself. But, as she tried to pull herself up, Pete stood over her. "What are you gonna do girly…?" He paused as he heard the Bandersnatch Heartless give a strained roar, turning to see it vanish and a heart float away.

"Keep away from her!" Justin and Xally sent their swords flying at the cat, their eyes blazing with anger. He ducked before turning to Glacies. "Youse hang in there, I'll be back to take care of you." With that, he opened a dark corridor and vanished.

"Glacies!" The three ran over and pulled the young Keyblade Master up. Glacies sat on the edge, shaking. "Are you ok…?"

She nodded but the others could see that she was lying. "Ok then, let's get Toodles." Xally tried to levitate her sword across the chasm, only for it to hit a magical barrier before it went over the edge. "So we've got to do the secret thing…"

"Fine…" Justin sighed. "If we're going to tell our dirty secrets, I'll go first." Taking a deep breath, the boy turned to his cousin. "Xally, I know I've pressured you to help me continue the Jedi Order, but the truth is, that I agree with you. I only want to keep the order alive because we may be the only two members left. I hate the rules too, they're stifling; I want to form attachments and I want to claim possessions, but I have to keep myself from doing that."

"Justin…" The four stiffened as a crumbling sound filled the air, but they saw a walkway of rock appear, reaching out towards Toodles, but it didn't go very far. "Ok… my turn." Xally bit her lip. "I've told you that before I was taken in by the Jedi, I was born on the planet of Nal Hutta. That place is the homeworld of the Hutt family, a family of vile gangsters. My mother was a slave there and she gave me to the Jedi, in secret, to prevent our masters from stopping her… I was never fit to be a Jedi, I was a slave, hiding from her master."

The noise came again and the walkway lengthened to where one more secret would allow it to reach the frightened Lost Boy. Hikari sighed. "Well, mines not that big, but I've got the biggest crush in the worlds on Pete's son, PJ. I've had it for a long time but I'm starting to feel like it's… becoming more. I know I'm only 9, but still, and I know the feeling is mutual…"

Now, the rocky walkway reached the caged boy; Hikari ran across to the cage, but the door wouldn't budge. "I guess you have to say your secret too, Glace."

Glacies closed her eyes, clenching her fists, before she spoke, her voice quiet where only Xally and Justin could hear her. "I- well… When I was three years old, I was kidnapped by Pete and I would've been taken to Maleficent if my parents hadn't rescued me. Ever since then… even though I know he's a weakling and that I can defeat him physically, Pete has haunted my dreams. He's been in all my nightmares and every time I see him, I freeze up. I can't fight him because he scares me. I know inside that I beat him, but I can never make myself fight, I only want to run from him… I-I don't deserve to be a Keyblade Master if I can't conquer my fear of a weakling…" She lowered her head, tears running down her cheeks.

Justin and Xally stared at her while Hikari pulled Toodles from the cage and carried him out of the cave. The girl was the first to sink to her knees and embrace her adoptive older sister, with Justin quickly doing the same. "D-do the masters know?"

"No… Mom and Dad thought I got over it long ago…"

"Glacies," the younger girl pulled away, making her sister look at her. "You can beat this! You're the strongest person I know! And, do you know how I know you can do this?" Glacies shook her head. "You just took the first step, you admitted it. Now, Justin and I can help you. Soon, you'll be able to face Pete and take him, and your fear down!"

Glacies bit her lip as she embraced her siblings. "Th-thank you…" She wiped her eyes and the three stood up and left the cave.

They were a little surprised to see Peter, Blaze, and Patria out there. However, one thing was back to normal; Brim and Patria were bickering about who-knows-what. Pith pushed past his sister. "Glace, you ok?"

"I-I'm fine, thanks for asking."

Peter Pan flew over to her. "Gosh… you look really tired. I know the cave can drain people, but thanks for rescuing Toodles."

"You're welcome, Peter." Glacies smiled. "And it looks like you got Patria back to normal."

"Oh, that's how she usually is?"

"Yep…"

Glacies looked at the flying boy. "Peter, I wish we could stick around, but we need to get going."

"I understand," Peter smiled. "Hey, next time you come back, you better stay longer!"

"We will…"

* * *

Patria leaned back in the gummi ship's pilot seat, tossing the newly acquired lock piece up and down. "Five more to go…"

Xally sat beside her, waiting to sense a new lock piece. Her eyes shot open, suddenly; at the same moment, the door to the cockpit burst open and Justin ran in. "Did you sense him too!?"

"I did!" The girl jumped up, grabbing the controls.

Yuyake stuck his head in. "Did you find another piece?"

"No…" Justin smiled.

"Ok…" Patria huffed, "Then what are you doing?"

Xally grinned from ear-to-ear as she directed the ship towards a lone world, with some sort of craft hovering over it. "We sensed him: our old teach, Master Kenobi!"

"You mean another Jedi is still alive!?" Yuyake grinned. "Get moving! Let's find him!"

* * *

**Ladies and gentlemen… **

**I'm sure you know what world is next!**

**But, now we know about Glacies.**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Next time…**

**In finding Justin and Xally's old master, the group stumbles into a rebellion against an evil empire.**

**In… ****_Distant Galaxy_****!**

* * *

**Give Thanks**

For those of us in America, we just celebrated Thanksgiving. An entire day dedicated to giving thanks for what we have… and stuffing ourselves full of delicious food (and for a college student 9 hours from home, home cooked food is greatly appreciated).

However should we give thanks on only 1 day a year? Not on your life… we always have something to be thankful for.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, _"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."_

God calls for us to give thanks every day, in every situation. That means to give thanks when you're sick, when you're broke, when you're depressed, etc. Now, that doesn't mean be thankful for your situation… because why would you be thankful if you're deathly ill? But give thanks IN the situation. You might be sick, but at least you're still alive, or you may be broke but you still have family who loves you. Even something small will do, but give thanks every day, in the most trying of times, even for the littlest of things.


	23. Chapter 22: Distant Galaxy

**Sorry this took so long!**

**I've had such a hard time motivating myself to write lately. **

**I hope you all had a great Christmas season.**

**Just saying, pieces of dialogue in this chapter are spoken in another language, and those lines will be in italics with the translation coming after it.**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Star Wars (c) to Disney and Lucasfilms!**

**My OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Distant Galaxy part 1**

* * *

Xally grabbed the controls and angled the ship towards the small planetoid, which now seemed to be awfully small; more like a small moon than a planet. The small craft was a ship, moving in the same direction as their own ship.

Justin suddenly tensed. "Xally, I know Master Kenobi is there, but I can sense something is off…"

"I-I feel it too."

Glacies looked between them. "What do you mean?"

"T-there's a dark presence on that mo… that's a space station, not a moon." Xally gasped. She flipped some of the controls and attempted to turn the ship around.

"Xally! Get us out of here!" Justin looked equally concerned.

"I-I can't!"

The others, who had come up to see what world approached. Brim looked at the two former Jedi. "Why are we still going towards it!?"

"A tractor beam!" The girl slammed her fist on the console. "It's pulling us in. I can't do anything about it."

Justin began to shudder. "I-I feel cold…"

"I do to…"

Glacies drew a quick breath. "If our ship gets taken, we're not getting found out. Pith, can we get onto that space station before the ship?"

"Probably, but I don't know where we'd end up." He looked ahead. "That other ship may be caught in the tractor beam too. I could get us in that ship."

"Do it!" Xally turned on him. "That's where Master Kenobi is!"

* * *

The group appeared in the middle of the other ship; it was rather dirty, but they didn't have much time to look around. A large figure, covered in brown hair came in the room, his mouth opened and he let out a roar.

A man with brown hair came running into the room. "Chewie what is it?" He noticed the group. "Who the heck are you and how did you get on my ship?"

"I'm sorry for our intrusion, but our ship is caught in the same tractor beam as yours. We were hoping we could work together with you to get out of this situation." Glacies spoke with an authority that would become a Keyblade Master.

A younger man with blond hair, an elderly man,and two droids came into the room. The old man smiled. "Well, this is certainly surprising. I did not think I would see you two again: Justin, Xally."

"Master Kenobi!" The two children ran to him.

"It is good to see you, but we have no time for reunions. Han, where are these smuggler hiding places we may use; these children are friends who can help us."

Han grunted something that only Xally understood. "_Jee gee tanee gee tah kiuke bona woy hotpaka um baw wah Yih_… (I've never had this much trouble doing jobs for the Hutts)"

She narrowed her eyes and spat back. "_Dobra ata joday cay uba heoi pee Jee ge bai, ulwan kung!_ (I'm only working with you because I have to, smuggler scum)" The big furry creature growled at her. "_Goo joday um baw wah Yih! Kaee coo hatkocanh joday che heee kantkha doth kung!_ (He works for the Hutts! Anyone who would work for those monsters is scum!)

"Look, kid," Han huffed, "I don't know what you have against the Hutts, but it can wait, unless you want to get captured."

"_Luto, bantha poodoo_… (Fine, bantha fodder)"

The man took them into the main hallway and lifted up some panels. "Get in." As they got in, Xally made sure she was nowhere near Han.

* * *

From inside the spaces, they could feel the ship land and could hear as people came walking over their position. Soon the footsteps faded.

They lifted up the panels and began climbing out of the compartments. The blond young man looked over at Han. "Boy, it's lucky you had these compartments."

"Yea," Yuyake nodded "He…" He noticed that he did not know the young man's name.

"Luke."

"Thanks… Luke's right. We'd be in serious trouble without them."

Han huffed. "I use them for smuggling, but I never thought I'd be smuggling myself. This is ridiculous."

"Even if we could take off," Justin gave a groan, "we'd never get past the tractor beam."

Obi Wan merely smiled. "Leave that to me."

"Dang, I knew you were going to say that…" Xally rolled her eyes.

They waited until two men, dressed in gray suits, came up into the ship carrying a large box. Brim knocked the two over the head with the back of his axes.

"I've got an idea…" Pith grabbed Yuyake's arm and whispered in his ear; they grabbed the men and dragged them off.

Han yelled down to two guards. "Hey down there, could you give us a hand with this?" The guards came up and Glacies cast Sleep on them. Han and Luke took the armor off the men and put it on.

Pith and Yuyake came out, their own clothes folded up and hidden away as they now wore the gray suits.

"Now, let's get up to the control station". Everyone but Luke dashed down the ramp, slipping through the shadows until they made it to a hallway. Following the Wookie, Chewbacca, they approached the control room.

A man in a black uniform came to the door; Chewbacca roared and Han fired his blaster, killing the man. He and the wookie cleared out the room before any of the Keybearers could say anything.

"Y-you didn't have to kill them!" Hikari cried.

"They would've killed us, without a thought." Han snapped.

The only one who spoke was Xally, her voice low and angry. "_Banmhemante, phiai, ulwan kung_ (Thoughtless, cruel, smuggler scum)." She only calmed when Obi Wan laid a hand on her shoulder.

Luke came running up, pulling off his Stormtrooper helmet. "You know, between his howling and your blasting everything in sight, it's a wonder the whole station doesn't know we're here."

"Bring em' on! I prefer a straight fight to all this sneakin' around."

The golden droid with them, C-3PO spoke up. "We found the computer outlet, sir."

The small R2 unit, plugged in as Brim took the black uniform from one of the dead officers, leaving his own clothes in a compartment in the back of R2-D2. "How do I look?"

"Bro, your hair is sticking out the back." Blaze walked over, tucking his hair under the hat further.

R2 beeped and 3PO spoke up. "He says he's found the main computer to power the tractor beam thats holding our ship and yours here. The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave."

The old Jedi looked at the computer screen and sighed. "I don't think any of you can help. I must go alone."

"Whatever you say." The smuggler plopped down in a chair. "I've done more than I bargained for on this trip already."

"Master Kenobi! Don't leave, we just found you again!" Xally frowned; Justin had a similar expression on his face.

Obi Wan smiled down at them. "The two of you are two of the last Jedi. I want you to help them get out of here and help the rebellion. Those droids must be taken to the rebellion, and I want you to keep an eye on Luke."

"Yes, Master." The old man said a few parting words to Luke before leaving.

Chewbacca barked something and Han nodded. "Boy, you said it, Chewie. Where did you dig up that old fossil?"

"Ben is a great man."

"Yeah, great at getting us into trouble." The smuggler rolled his eyes.

"Hey," Pith huffed. "We can last out here if we need to. Five of us are in disguise. If we need to, we could scout around; Yuyake and I look like engineers and we could walk around, same with Brim, but he's dressed as a communications officer."

Luke shook his head. "It's too dangerous."

"Well," Patria crossed her arms. "Anything would be better than just hanging around here waiting for him to pick us up…"

"Tria, what do you…?"

Everyone paused as R2 began whistling like crazy. "What the heck is wrong with him?"

"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure." C-3PO turned to look at them. "He keeps saying 'I found her', and keeps repeating, 'She's here'."

"Who?"

After another whistle from the Astro droid, the protocol droid responded. "Princess Leia."

"The princess? She's here?"

"Princess? What princess?"

Luke ignored them. "Where is she?"

R2 beeped a bit more and 3PO translated. "Level five, Detention block A A-twenty-three… I'm afraid she's scheduled to be terminated."

"Oh no! We've got to do something!"

Glacies stepped in front of the blond boy, placing her hands on his shoulders to stop him. "Luke. Slow down; none of us know what is happening. Who is this princess?"

"The droids belong to her. She's the one in a message R2 is carrying… We've gotta help her."

Han shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "Now, look, don't get any funny ideas. The old man wants us to wait right here."

Glacies held up a hand. "He didn't know she was here. He may want us to help her."

"I'm not going anywhere!"

Hikari stomped her foot. "They're gonna execute her. A minute ago you said that you didn't want to just sit here, but now all you want to do is stay."

"Marching into the detention area is not what I had in mind."

"_La doth meeto toe killee uen, uba dosaetke doptpee_ (They're going to kill her, you selfish jerk)!"

"Better her than me!" The smuggler snorted.

Luke turned away scratching the back of his head before going over to the smuggler. "She's rich."

"Rich?" Han sat up, slightly interested now.

"Yes," the blond boy smirked. "Rich powerful! Listen, if you were to rescue her the reward would be…"

"What?"

"Well more wealth than you can imagine."

"I don't know," Han sat up all the way. "I can imagine quite a bit."

"You'll get it."

"I better…"

"You will!"

Brim grinned. "Well, if we're all agreed, what's the plan?"

Glacies rubbed her chin. "Well, the other girls and I can take some of these other uniforms to blend in and we could march down there, but it would look a little strange if we all go together. We could move together, but with a good distance between us to keep off suspicion. However, if we had a prisoner it would look more realistic." She grabbed a pair of cuffs and walked over to Chewbacca. "We can't disguise you so it's only logical that you play the part of the prisoner."

The wookie barked something in an annoyed fashion but held out his arms and allowed her to put them on. "You're a smart girl." Han pointed out. "But what about the short ones here? They're far too small to be taken as officers."

"We're going after Master Kenobi." Justin spoke up, moving beside his fellow former Jedi.

"We can slip through the shadows like he can, and manipulate the minds of the soldiers if need be."

Glacies nodded. "Ok, you two be careful. Hikari, we may need you to play prisoner too."

"Ok." The little girl allowed her to put binders around her wrists.

"Blaze, Patria, its time for a quick change." The girls were able to put on the uniform of the dead men,over their own clothes, tucking their hair into the hats to hide it.

Pith and Yuyake were to go first, pretending to be there in order to check on a potential reactor leak.

Brim, Han, and Luke would come next bringing Chewbacca and Hikari.

Lastly, Patria, Blaze, and Glacies would pretend to come running to assist the guards in the detention area.

* * *

The walk from the hanger control center to the detention center was long and nerve racking.

Pith and Yuyake entered the detention area and only the commander gave them a glance. "I suppose you are here to check on the possible reactor leak?"

"Yes sir, we just want to make sure that it is not dangerous." As the two moved off to the side, the lift opened up again revealing the second group.

Everyone stared at Chewbacca, almost ignoring Hikari. The commander raised an eyebrow. "Where are you taking this… thing?"

"Prisoner transfer from cell block one-one-three-eight." Brim stepped forward, asserting an air of command.

However, this did not intimidate the officer. "I wasn't notified. I'll have to clear it."

He turned away and two other troopers came forward, one grabbing Hikari's arms and the other moving towards Chewbacca. The wookie suddenly burst out of his cuffs and pulled the laser rifle from Han's hands.

"Look out! He's loose!"

Now, Glacies and the others entered, and the fire fight began. In mere moments, the soldiers were dead or unconscious, and all the cameras destroyed.

Han ran to the console. "We've got to find out which cell this princess of yours is in. Here it is… cell twenty-one-eight-seven."

"Move," Pith pushed the smuggler to the side and activated the buzzing comlink. "This is engineer officer 331907, everything is under control; situation normal."

"_What happened?"_

The boy kept his voice calm. "Well, we had a small weapons malfunction during a unruly prisoner's transfer. But now, everything is fine."

_"We're sending a squad up."_

"I would not recommend it," Pith's face became concerned, but he continued to speak normally, but now inserting a sound of concern. "I was sent down here to investigate a possible reactor leak, and I will confirm that there is a leak and it is very dangerous."

_"Who are you? There is no engineer officer 331907. What's your operating number?"_

Han quickly shot the console, yelling down at Luke and Glacies, who were searching for the princess's cell. "HURRY WE'RE GONNA HAVE COMPANY!"

The two found the cell door and opened it. A lovely young woman lay sleeping on a bench. At their entrance, she sat up, blinking at them. "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper, and you a little skinny for an communications officer?

"Huh? Oh the uniform…" The boy pulled off his helmet and Glacies pulled off her hat, allowing her hair to fall down. "I'm Luke Skywalker and this is Glacies; we're here to rescue you."

"You're who?"

Glacies smiled. "We're here to rescue you. We have your astro droid and we're here with Obi Wan Kenobi."

"Obi Wan Kenobi! Where is he!?"

"Come on!"

* * *

Justin and Xally slipped by yet another squad of troopers. They felt, as they moved further into the space station, a tremor in the Force seemed to grow stronger.

It seemed familiar, but darker and colder than it should have.

Soon, they could see the old man; he turned to look at them. They knew they could not hide their presence from him, and they knew he would be disappointed in them, that they disobeyed. His brow creased, but he did not speak.

The two quickly caught up to him, and despite his annoyance, he did not send them away.

* * *

The woman seemed surprised to see all the children, but their attention changed when the elevator opened and a group of stormtroopers came out.

The Keybearers fired spell after spell at the troops, for the blasters kept them from getting too close.

They ran down the cell hallway, towards Leia, Luke, and Glacies. "Can't get out that way."

"Looks like you managed to cut off our only escape route." The princess huffed.

Patria gave her a sarcastic smile. "Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, your Highness."

Luke began attempting to contact 3PO, as the others began fighting back. The blond boy eventually turned to them. "There isn't any other way out."

"Well, we can't hold them off forever."

"This is some rescue." Leia snapped. "When you came in here, did you have a plan for getting out."

Han gave her a look and gestured to Luke and Glacies with his head. "They're the brains, sweetheart."

Ryô suddenly turned, blasting a Fira spell at the grate behind Han's legs. "Let's go!"

"Finally, someone has a good plan." The princess went to the grate, before turning to Han. "Into the garbage chute, wise guy."

She jumped down the chute, followed by Ryô, Yuyake, and Hikari. Chewbacca knelt over it and growled. "Get in there you big furry oaf! I don't care what you smell!" Han kicked his furry friend down the hole. Brim and Blaze went next, followed by Patria and Pith.

"Wonderful girl!" The smuggler looked at Luke and Glacies. "Either I'm gonna kill her, or I'm beginning to like her."

The Keyblade Master smiled and waited until both men were down in the garbage chute before casting a smokescreen and diving after them.

She landed in a wet, disgusting pile of filth, just in time to hear Han snark. "Oh! The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea. What an incredible smell you've discovered." He looked to see his wookie friend struggling to get the door open. "Get away from there…"

"Stop!"

The words went unheeded as Han fired his blaster at the door. The bolt began ricocheting around the room; everyone dove for cover among the garbage, even in the nasty water on the floor. The bolt exploded above them.

"Will you forget it; I already tried it! It's magnetically sealed!"

"Put that thing away! You're gonna get us all killed!"

The smuggler looked over at Leia and snapped. "Absolutely, Your Worship. Look, I had everything under control until you and blondie led us down here. You know, it's not going to take them long to figure out what happened to us."

"It could be worse…"

Suddenly, an inhuman groan filled the air, coming up from the murky water around their feet. Everyone looked around, with Hikari clinging to Yuyake's arm. "It's worse…"

"There's something alive in here." Blaze muttered, knife in hand; oh how she wished she could light up with fire, but in such a confined space, it would cook everyone around her.

"That's just your imagination, sis."

Luke jumped. "Something just moved past my leg! Did you see that!?"

Patria saw something come up out of the water and sink back down. "Uh… I saw it too!"

"What?"

Suddenly two tentacles came up and wrapped around the legs of Luke and Pith. In seconds, the creature dragged them both below the water.

"PITH! LUKE!"

"PITH!" Patria wasted no time; in an action of unusual selflessness, she dove in the water, after her twin. In a couple seconds they both came up, gasping for breath.

"Where's Luke?"

The others pulled them up and Patria spat. "Luke is not my brother!"

"So you left him!?"

Suddenly Luke came up, the tentacle now wrapped around his body and neck. Brim set one of his hatchets on fire and slashed at the tentacle. Instead of letting go of the blond, it dragged him right back under the water.

This time, he did not come up. The water became calm and no one moved. As if to make everything worse, the walls began to shudder and moved a little bit.

Luke then burst to the surface, swallowing a big gulp of air. "Grab him!" The boys pulled him up, and his assailant didn't grab back. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Luke coughed. "It just let go of me and disappeared…"

Before another word was spoken, the walls rumbled once more and began to close in upon them. "Oh heck! This is a frickin' trash compactor!"

"Everyone! Get close to me!" Glacies summoned her Keyblade as the entire group waded through the sludge to her side. She held it up and cast a Shieldza spell around them. "Get C-3PO on the comm! We need help!"

Luke pulled out his comlink and began shouting for the protocol droid, who was not answering. All the while, the walls closed in further, causing the magic shield to crack.

"One thing's for sure, we're gonna be a lot thinner."

And then… _"Are you there, sir?" _

"3PO!"

_"We've had some problems…"_

"Give me that thing!" Blaze grabbed the comlink. "Shut up, bolt brain and listen! Shut down all the garbage smashers on the detention level! Shut them all down! Now!"

A few stressful seconds later, the walls halted, just as she shield was about to shatter. Everyone began cheering with joy and relief.

* * *

The three Jedi came to a large room, humming with machinery, with a bridge spanning the seemingly bottomless pit that made up the floor. Obi Wan motioned for Justin and Xally to jump down to a long ledge below the bridge so they would not be spotted.

The old man moved around a semi-circular platform, with a machine in the center; he was forced to balance along a small ledge to do so. He moved around, pulling on several switches, in order to shut down the tractor beam.

* * *

"This is my favorite dress…" Hikari grumbled as she tried to clean some of the gunk off her outfit.

"We'll wash it when we get back to our ship."

Blaze pulled off her disguise, seeing the muck which had gotten on her normal clothes. "I may have been wearing this uniform over my normal clothes, but I need to wash mine too… and I need a bath!"

"We all need a bath…"

They all jumped as Chewbacca began howling and Han fired a shot into the garbage compactor, causing an echo to bounce through the halls. "Come here, you big coward. Chewie, come here!"

"Listen," Leia stormed up to the smuggler. "I don't know who you are, or where you came from. But from now on, you do as I tell you."

Patria shook the garbage out of her ponytail and grunted. "I don't take orders from you, Miss Priss."

"Like the kid said, I take orders from one person! Me!"

Leia gave a quick glance back at the two as she walked behind Chewbacca. "It's a wonder you're still alive… Would somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?"

Han watched her pass the wookie, "No reward is worth this…"

"Tria…" Pith grabbed his twin's arm. "Thank you. You saved my life."

"You saved mine in Maleficent's castle. So, now we're even." Her face melted into a kind smile, one her brother hadn't seen in years.

* * *

Justin and Xally watched their old master pull down the last lever; now their ships could leave.

The three paused as some stormtroopers came into the same room. Two stayed behind, but they seemed very confused. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Maybe it's another drill."

Justin used the Force to fling a small piece of metal down past the troopers. "What was that?" With them distracted, the two younglings jumped up and the old master came back onto the bridge, and they all ran down the hall.

* * *

Coming through the halls, they could now see a window looking down on the hanger. "The gummi ship!" Ryô leaned on the window. "Oh, she doesn't look too bad."

"There she is." Han smiled down at his own ship.

Leia looked at the smuggler's ship and then to Han. "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought."

They came around another corner and right into a battalion of stormtroopers. Han began firing at the troopers, and they retreated; he, Chewie, and Brim went running after them. "Get to the ship!"

"Brim! Han! Chewie!"

"They're certainly brave."

Blaze sighed. "What'll that do if they get themselves killed? Come on!" The others turned and ran for the hanger.

* * *

The two young men and the wookie chased the troopers down the hall and around a corner and turned right around. They'd run right into a large room full of stormtroopers.

They ran, the troops firing after them. Brim screamed. "WE ARE SO DEAD!"

* * *

The rest of the group, led by Luke dragging Leia, ran through a door and nearly tumbled into an abyss. "Whoa! I think we took a wrong turn."

Glacies could see the stormtroopers coming up behind them. "Everyone, catch hands!" They each took the hand of the other and Glacies cast a shield around them and used an Aeroza spell to launch them across, then used the same spell to send herself across.

Quickly, with the stormtroopers shooting after them, they ducked down the hallway, towards the hanger.

* * *

Xally and Justin followed Master Kenobi through the halls. Suddenly the tremor they'd been feeling in the Force grew stronger.

"Justin, Xally." Obi Wan turned to them. "Go back to your friends. They need you."

"But Master…" The girl went forward, but a force field appeared between them and him.

"I'd leave the old man alone. Fate is about to catch up with him." They turned to see a feminine figure in a yellow cloak, with the hood pulled up, covering her face; a single brown braid hung down over her left shoulder. "Why don't you get back to your friends? They're going to need you."

Justin summoned his Keyblade. "Who are you?"

"No one you need to know…" She pulled a one-handed crossbow from behind the folds of her cloak. "Now, get going little Keybearers, before you meet the same fate as that old man." Before they two could speak, she turned, running down the hall.

"Wait!"

They ran after her only to come around a corner and run into Han. "What are you kids doing here!?"

"Justin, Xally," Brim grabbed their hands. "Run!" The two Jedi Keybladers quickly saw the platoon of stormtroopers coming their way, and joined in the run.

"Close the blast doors!" They could see the doors in front of them beginning to close. Without delay they leapt through the quickly closing doors.

They stopped that the corner of a doorway, which looked out into the hanger, but the ships were surrounded by stormtroopers.

"Cha jeejee ritke jot tah cokha (Didn't we just leave this party)?" Xally groaned.

A patter of footsteps caused them to turn, seeing Luke, Leia, and the rest of their group running up behind them. "What took you?"

"We ran into some old friends."

Ryô looked out at the vessels. "The ships seem ok. Justin, did you guys get that tractor beam out of commission?"

"Yes." He paused. "Guys, look!" They watched as all of the stormtroopers went off to the left, clearing the way to the ship.

"Let's go!"

Xally grabbed Han's vest. "_Han, in ting uba doth tee peee koudane peee Jee canta_ (Han, maybe you're not as bad as I thought)…"

"_Uba doth tee hee koudane bap, pomheba_ (You're not so bad either, kid)."

Justin paused, alongside Luke. "Master…?" Xally turned and saw Obi Wan, lightsaber in hand, fighting a man wielding a red lightsaber, dressed in all black, with a strange mask on.

The old master turned his head to look at the three before he closed his eyes; he held his lightsaber up and allowed the other man to slash at him, cutting Obi Wan in half.

"NO!" The troopers all turned on them.

Xally went to jump forward, ready to summon her Keyblade, but two strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her back towards the ship. "Yuyake! Let me go!"

She continued to kick and scream and the raven-haired boy pulled her into the gummi ship, with Brim coming up dragging Justin, who was also struggling to run to their master.

When the doors closed, the ship rocked and blasted out of the bay, following Han's ship. Brim and Yuyake took the two younglings to the main room where they sat crying over the loss of their former master.

The ship suddenly jolted. "We're under attack!"

"EAT THIS!" they could hear Patria yelling as the ship's blasters fired. As they reached the cockpit, they saw an enemy fighter explode. "WHOO YA! That's the last ship! Let's follow Han and get out of here!"

Glacies suddenly jumped up, summoning her Keyblade. "Wait, first things first." She held out the sword and the light shot out, hitting the back of Han's ship, where, now everyone could see a keyhole. Instantly, another lock piece landed in the girl's hand.

"We didn't come here looking for that, but it's what we need."

Ryô grabbed the controls but froze. "Look! Is that…?"

"Xext!?"

The white-clad assassin floated in space, surrounded by a pale green glow. His visible red eye glowed bright and the ship became engulfed in a white light.

When it vanished, they were in unfamiliar space. There was no sign of the space station, Han's ship, or anything familiar in sight, just a lone world.

"Wha? How? What did he just do!?"

"I-I have no idea…"

* * *

**I hope this doesn't feel rushed.**

**I've been unable to really find inspiration for this chapter, so it may be rushed. If so, sorry…**

**Please review!**

**Next time: When Blaze's temper attracts the wrong attention, the group has to turn to some professionals to help her learn to control her powers. In… ****_Mutant Manor._**

* * *

**Pride and Prejudice**

We often look at sin as the things that hold us back or tie us down, our "vices" per say. However, when one looks at human nature, past, present, and future, one can see one vice that causes the most damage: Pride.

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis calls pride the great sin. He describes it as "The more we have it[pride] ourselves, the more we dislike it in others."

C.S. Lewis had it right. Pride is a footstep to many thing. In the bible, it is said many times to not be prideful, but to be humble.

Proverbs says it most of all, and one of the most well known proverbs is about pride: Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."

Certain pride, is not bad. To be proud of what you did, is normal, even God admits to being proud of himself. It's the pride that causes us to diminish others that he does not like.

If we are not careful, our own pride can be our undoing.


	24. Chapter 23: Mutant Manor part 1

**Hey!**

**I hope you're excited for this.**

**I want to warn you, some of the duologue will look weird. **

**Two characters speak with accents and I write to show those accents.**

**One man shpeaks vith a German accent.**

**The ot'er speaks vith a Russian accent.**

**So, just keep an eye out for this.**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Wolverine and the X Men (c) to Marvel and Disney!**

**OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Mutant Manor part 1**

* * *

"What are we gonna do?!"

Glacies sighed. "We lost contact with Han and have no idea where he is. The only thing we can do is get on with our mission to find our parents."

"Justin and Xally won't be happy…" Yuyake sighed, "But there's nothing else we can do."

Justin's voice spoke out behind them. "W-we understand…" He and Xally stood in the doorway. "We heard everything…"

Glacies walked over and hugged her adopted siblings. "I'm so sorry. I know it hurts…"

Xally choked back her sobs. "W-we need to get back to the task at hand. We came because we s-sensed a lock piece on that nearby world."

"Thank you… we'll go down there in the morning, after you both have rested."

"Thanks, sis…"

* * *

"This world feels, familiar…" Blaze looked around. They'd landed in a bustling city, and everything looked like it was normal.

Pith looked over at the pyro. "Have you been here before?"

Blaze and her brother shook their heads. Suddenly, a woman screamed; they ran around a corner and saw a group of Heartless, tearing up a cafe. "Let's go!"

They summoned their weapons and attacked. One of the Heartless was about to pounce on a woman; Hikari bounded forward, blocking it and blasting it away with a Blizzard spell. The girl turned to the woman. "Are you ok?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" The woman backed away from the girl, screaming.

"I save your life and that's the thanks I get…?"

Blaze quickly found herself surrounded by Neoshadows. Their hungry eyes stared at her; she'd not been using her powers, only her knives and that was making her an easy target. The Heartless pounced and she lost it. Dropping her knives, she blasted it with fire; as the others pounced she blasted them away, grabbing the last one by the head and burning it through. "WHO ELSE WANTS SOME!?" A small shadow saw her and scurried away down and alley and she chased it off.

"So much for controlling her temper…" Brim sighed.

He was just about to go after her, when a bunch of black vans drove up, on the sides the words "MRD: Mutant Response Division" stood out in gold lettering. Out of the vans poured men in armor, with guns.

One of the men strode forward. "Apprehend the mutants…"

"Sir," a soldier spoke up. "Our sensors say that none of them are mutants."

"What!? That's impossible!"

Patria glared at him. "What's the big idea!? We just saved a bunch of people and now you want to arrest us, and you're calling us mutants. Rude much…"

Just then, Blaze came walking out of the alley, hair and eyes still lit up with fire. "What's going on?"

"THERE IT IS! There's the mutant!"

"What!?" The group got between Blaze and the soldiers. "Don't call her that! That's my sister you're talking about!" Brim tightened his grip on his hatchets.

The commander turned to his men. "Take them all!"

The men began firing their weapons at the kids; Glacies put up a Shielza spell. Blaze watched as the men moved around them, blasting her friends with their weapons. Her temper shortened and her anger grew.

She began shaking and her fire grew larger. Her face lost all emotion and the fire from her eyes blazed up and connected with her flaming hair as she became surrounded in flames.

"Oh no!" Brim gasped. "She's lost control!"

Blaze began spurting fire in all directions, her friends scattering to get away from her. The MRD even took a few steps back.

The girl held up her hand and the flames surrounded and licked around the MRD agents, burning them; their screams of pain filled the air.

"We've gotta stop her!"

"I don't think we can," Brim gulped. "This is different… she's completely lost it. She's never attacked people like that before."

The air suddenly picked up and a black jet began lowering down to the street. "What now!?"

Out of the jet came the strangest bunch of people. A man in a long coat and a visor over his eyes came first, followed by a red-haired woman in a yellow and green suit. After them, came a man in white and red, with the wings of an angel, and a girl with pigtails phased through the ship. Then, came a large man with metal plates instead of skin and a blue-furred creature with a devil-like tail. Lastly, came a woman with dark skin and white hair, beside a man with three metal claws coming from his knuckles.

The visored man turned to the others. "Get the MRD agents out of here. Jean, see if you can reach her."

"What are you doing!?" Brim ran out at them. "Leave my sister alone!" He ran his hand along the Dust infused coat and thrust fire at the lead two.

The red-haired woman merely held up her hand and blocked the attack. "Calm down, we're here to help."

"Yeah, we wanna stop her, and help her." The girl with pigtails spoke up.

Before they could start, more Heartless appeared. The blue-furred creature spoke in a thickly accented voice. "Vat are zese sinks?"

"Heartless!" Patria jumped in. "Don't just sit there! If you want to help, help!" She summoned her Keyblade and began attacking.

* * *

As the others fought, Brim looked as the red-haired woman and visored man approached his sister. The woman placed her hands to her temples. "Her mind is full of static. If I can just reach her, I may be able to shut off her powers."

"Shut off her powers?" Brim gasped. "Please, don't hurt her!"

The man held up a hand. "She won't; your sister will be ok."

Blaze felt her control slipping away. Her powers were taking over; she could only watch as her powers slowly burned a group of MRD soldiers.

Suddenly, a voice, not her own, cut into her mind. "_Hello… can you hear me?_"

"Y-yes…"

"_Tell me, what is your name?_"

"B-Blaze… Blaze Fahrenheit."

"_Blaze, what a nice name. My name is Jean. I'm here to help you_"

"How can you help me? My powers are out of control!"

"_Blaze, let me come in a little further. I can shut down your powers. Please, let me help you_."

"Ok…" Blaze felt a mind touch hers, and her powers suddenly turned off. It felt like the greatest relief she'd every felt before.

* * *

Brim smiled as the fire around his sister fell away and she lowered to the ground. The visored man grabbed her in a bridal carry.

"Everyone! Back in the Blackbird!" He carried her into their jet; the others who came with him ran to the jet.

The man with the metal claws turned to the group. "Come on!"

They all piled into the jet and watched the ground sink away as they took off. One of the suited people, looked at them. "Um, hello! Why are they coming?"

"Zee MRD vas after sem too." The blue furred one consoled her.

"Look, Pryde, Chuck contacted me and told me to bring them." The man with the claws pulled off his mask to reveal a face with long sideburns.

"Ok, ok, fine…"

Brim sat down beside his sister, who lay unconscious beside the man with metal plating for skin.

"Do not vorry?" He also spoke with a thick accent, but a different one than the blue-furred man. "Your sister vill be fine. The professor vill 'elp her."

"Thank you… um…?"

"I am called Colossus, put my name is Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin." He smiled. "Vat is your name?"

The boy smiled back. "I'm Brimstone Fahrenheit, but everyone calls me Brim."

"It is nice to meet you Brim."

They jostled as the jet landed, and everyone saw the mansion outside the window. The visored man stood up. "Everyone, the Professor wants to meet all of you. Jean, could you please wake our sleeper up?"

Jean walked over to Blaze and touched a hand to her forehead; seconds later, her eyes opened. "Wh-what happened?"

"You've been asleep."

"Come on, sis," Brim helped her up and led her down the jet ramp. Most of the people in suits had left, save the visored man, the one with sideburns, the blue-furred creature, and the woman with white hair. Jean and Piotr went to stand beside them as a bald man in a wheelchair came rolling towards the group.

"Hello," the wheelchair-bound man smiled. "I am Professor Charles Xavier. Welcome."

Glacies stepped forward and gave a bow. "Hello Professor. My name is Master Glacies; those with me are Brimstone, Blaze, Justin, Xally, Patria, Pith, Ryô, Yuyake, and Hikari. Thank you for saving us from those men."

"It is a pleasure." He gestured to those next to him. "This is Scott better known as Cyclops, Logan or Wolverine, Kurt or called Nightcrawler, Ororo but we call her Storm, Jean or Marvel Girl, and Piotr also called Colossus."

Logan grunted. "Only one of you is a mutant, so how did the rest of you fight the way you did?"

"Mutant!?" Brim glared. "You better not be referring to my sister. She's not a mutant. Why would you…?"

Jean held up her hands. "Calm down. I don't think you understand. By mutant, we mean someone who's DNA possesses the X-gene. All of us are mutants, and your sister possesses the same gene, hence she is a mutant."

The group relaxed. Only for Scott to look to the professor. "Professor, how could they not know this? Mutants are very well known."

"The only reason, is because they are from another world."

The kids were in shock. "How did you…?"

"The professor is a telepath, like myself. We can read minds." Jean smiled.

Kurt looked over at them. "But, Professor, how could zey hafe zee X-gene? Zey are not from our vorlt."

"That is a good question," came another voice. A creature with blue fur and glasses came in. He held out a furry hand to Glacies. "Dr. Henry McCoy… I was under the impression that the theory of other worlds had not been proven, but here you are. If the professor says you're from another world, he must be right. I must say, it is an honor…"

"Hank!"

The blue doctor smiled sheepishly. "Oh, sorry… this is just a phenomenal scientific discovery. Now, by your reactions, the X-gene is not present in your world, proving that I was right that it is exclusive to our own world. Which one of you is the mutant?"

"I-I am…" Blaze came towards him. "I'm Blaze, Blaze Fahrenheit."

"So, would any member of your family be from this world, either taken from here or still lives here, but you were raised separately?"

The girl cocked her head. "Well, my dad's family is exclusive to our home, and my mom… Oh…"

"Oh?"

"Mom appeared on our world with no memory of her past. She had fire powers, but no one thought twice about it." Blaze looked at her brother. "Brim, do you think that we found Mom's homeworld?"

Brim grinned. "We may have!"

Professor Xavier, not wanting to look into the children's minds without their permission again, asked. "What was your mother's name?"

"Sera, and her maiden name is Rose."

The mutants gave a collective gasp. Nightcrawler looked the most shocked. "S-Sera she's shtill alife!?"

"Wait," Glacies spoke up. "You know their mom?"

"We most certainly do…" the professor turned his chair, motioning for them to follow. "Let us go somewhere more comfortable to talk."

They followed him into the school. The group stared around in shock; children of all ages ran around, some using their powers. One boy split into three versions of himself, a girl with fairy-like wings flew around, and another child launched little balls that looked like fireworks.

"This is amazing…"

They came into a large room full of couches; everyone took a seat, Nightcrawler and Colossus sat close to Brim and Blaze.

"Brim, could vee see a photo of your mother?"

He nodded. "Yeah, here." The boy reached into his pocket and fingered through his wallet until her found a small picture of his parents.

Nightcrawler took the picture in his three fingers and stared at it. "Zis is Sera! She's grown a lot… I didn't know she vas shtill alife."

"How do you know their mom?" Patria huffed, tired of all this vague talk.

"My school is open to all young mutants to help them develop and learn to control their abilities. Sera Rose and her older sister, Piper, attended my school."

"Mom had a sister?" Blaze and Brim looked at one another, surprised.

The professor nodded. "Piper, was three years older. While Sera's powers allowed her to command and produce fire, Piper could create white and red portals that could transport a person or object across long distances." He reaches into a drawer and shuffled through a number of photographs before pulling out a picture and handed it over to the siblings. "They spent most of their life here, because their parents live in the same house with their uncle and aunt, who hated mutants."

"Wow, Mom's sister is so pretty…" Blaze smiled at the picture, specifically at the taller girl, whose dark brown hair had a streak of white and a streak of bright red.

"Piper mastered her powers quickly and joined us; for we are a group known as the X Men, who help protect both mutant and humankind from threats." Professor Xavier took the photo back. "She went by the codename, Peppermint, because her portals looked like a peppermint. She didn't allow Sera to join, in order to protect her."

Blaze bit her lip, almost afraid to ask what happened to her aunt. "What happened to my aunt? How did my mom lose her memories? How did she get to our world?"

"Her sister. Piper is the only one who could have sent her to your world." Xavier sighed "Years ago, the MRD was not an organization that arrested mutants. They used to take mutant, experiment on them, and murdered them. Only when the government took over did they become an organization that did not kill."

"And…?"

The professor looked the children in the eyes; they could see the pain in them. "Sera and Piper went home for Christmas and their aunt and uncle turned them in to the MRD, and this was before the government took control. All we know is that they were attacked; we know that Piper was captured, but there was no sign of Sera. We broke into an MRD facility to rescue Piper, but by the time we found her she had been experimented on and died soon after we rescued her."

"Oh…" Blaze and Brim had been looking forward to meeting their aunt, but that would never happen.

"Sera had vanished, but if what you say is true, Piper must have sent Sera as far away as she could, which put her on your world and explains her memory loss."

"How?"

Now, Dr. McCoy spoke up. "Piper's portals, if you went through them, induced amnesia. The amount of memory you lost, depended on how far you traveled. If she transported you from one side of the mansion grounds to the other, you'd forget the last two minutes before you went through the portal. If she sent your mother all the way to another world, it's no surprise that she lost most of her memory." He took the picture of Sera and Lea. "But, it looks like she did alright… I'm going to guess that this man is your father."

"Yes, his name is Lea."

Scott gave a small smile. "Well, now we know she's ok. Her safety was always on our minds and now they can be at peace."

"Maybe your minds, but mine vill alvays sink of zose two." Nightcrawler seemed extremely sad, as did Colossus.

The bigger man saw the questioning looks in their eyes. "Kurt and I vere close to Sera and Piper. I vas Sera's lover for many years. I vas koingk to propose, put she disappeared before I could."

"Yes, I too vas goink to propose to Piper, but she died before I could."

Blaze looked in shock at the two. "Y-you were going to marry them!?"

"Yes, but I am klad your mother found someone." Colossus placed a large hand on Blaze's head. He finally stood up, followed by the blue man, and walked out of the room.

Jean went after them. "I'll talk to them; I know this is hard on them."

"Wow, I didn't think we'd find so much on this world…" Pith gave a low whistle.

"Professor," Justin stood, "I know that Blaze and Brim need some time to let this sink in, and Xally and I have also had a hard time lately, so… I hate to ask, but…"

"Of course you may stay the night." Xavier smiled. "I was going to ask you to anyways, for Blaze's sake."

"My sake?"

He nodded. "I am aware of what happened earlier today. You do not have complete control of your powers."

The young pyro looked down. "I-if I get angry or overloaded with fire I lose it and I have no control of any of my actions. I could kill one of my friends, if I lost control." Her eyes glanced over at Ryô.

"We have many young mutants who go through the exact same problems as you do. Logan here, as well as Jean and Scott can help you learn to control your abilities." Professor Xavier gave a smile. "The rest of you can help, or train with my students. However, I would like one of you to explain your own abilities. But, it is getting late and that can wait until morning."

Glacies smiled and bowed. "Thank you Professor, for your hospitality, your help, and for bringing light to an unknown piece of Blaze and Brimstone's life."

"You are very welcome," he smiled at them. "Ororo, would you mind showing the children to the guest rooms and then to the dining hall?"

The woman smiled. "Of course, Charles."

As the group followed the white-haired woman out, Yuyake heard Logan speak up. "Chuck, I don't know what it is, but I smell something about one of those kids that just ain't right; it's a weird dark smell."

"Relax, Logan. These children do not need us sticking our noses in things that are not our business. They mean us no harm. We, as good people and good hosts, must do what we can with what they see and show us. I know you and Scott don't get along, but both of you and Jean are the best suited to help Blaze learn to control her abilities before they must leave us."

"Whatever, Chuck. I've followed you this far, and you've never led me astray…"

* * *

Blaze lay in the bed, staring out the window. She couldn't sleep; so much was on her mind. She'd found where her mother was from and learned that she had an aunt who'd passed away. She'd met her mother's first lover and a man who could have been her uncle. Now, she was getting to train and learn how to use her powers from the same people who taught her mother.

She sat up as her door opened. "Colossus?"

"I vould rat'er you call me Piotr."

"Ok, Piotr… what is it?" Blaze pushed the sheets back and stood up, walking to the large man.

He gave her a small smile. "Kurt is gettink your brother. Vee 'ave somet'ink to show the two of you."

"Ok… lead the way."

She followed Piotr down the stair and out the back door. The cool air bit at her bare arms as they walked out behind the mansion, and past the tennis courts. Nightcrawler and Brim stood there waiting.

"So, Piotr, what's going on?"

"Vee vant you to meet Piper." The two walked through a clearing in the trees, with the children following. They came to a small fenced area: a cemetery. The four stopped at the first headstone where the name "Piper Arista Rose" lay carved into the stone.

Blaze knelt down and saw two small black boxes almost completely buried. She reached out and flipped up one of the lids and gasped. The box held a diamond ring. "Nightcra- I mean, Kurt, was this the engagement ring for Piper?"

"Ya, I vorked hart to get zat, but I nefer got zee chance to gife it to her."

Brimstone looked up at Piotr. "Are you sad that our mom found someone else?"

"Is she happy? Does her husband love her? Does she love him? Does she love you?" He smiled at their nod. "Then I am content."

The siblings looked between one another. "Look, we're sorry to bring back these hurtful memories."

"No, vee are glat to know zat Sera is safe and zat Piper's last act vas not in vain."

Brim took his younger sister's hand. "Thank you for showing us this. We-we'll leave you two alone for a while."

"Danke…"

"Spasibo…"

As the siblings departed, Blaze let go of her sibling's hand, turning around to look back at the two who now knelt in front of Piper's grave.

As she turned back, she stopped. Three figures stood on a nearby hill, the moon only showing their silhouettes. Two were women, by their figures; the third could have been a man, but the six things dangling from what could have been his shoulders, make it look more monstrous.

"Blaze! Hurry up!"

"Brim, look!" She turned to her brother. "Three people are watching us… huh?" When she looked again, the three figures had gone. "Uh… never mind…" she rubbed her eyes; she really needed to get to sleep…

If she had looked once again, she would have seen the three figures reappear, their faces turned towards her.

* * *

**I could go on… but I want to break this into two parts.**

**There will be no teaser other than Blaze will train to control her powers.**

**Please Review!**

* * *

**What God Has in Store**

In Christianity we talk about eternal life. What will happen after the judgement day, after all those who've accepted Christ get to live with God forever. When God give heaven and earth a complete overhaul and creates the new heaven and new earth.

Titus 1:2 says, "In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago…"

When God creates the new heaven and new earth, I'd like you to know exactly what awaits us there. In the book of Revelations, John sees a vision of the New Jerusalem.

It speaks of a city 12,000 stadia in length, width, and height; 12,000 stadia is 1400 miles (2200 kilometers), which is halfway across the United States. Think about that… it's that distance in EVERY direction. That's one heck of a city.

The walls are decorated with every precious stone. The wall is 144 cubits thick (72 yards) and made a jasper. The city is made of pure gold.

The foundations of the city are made of jasper, sapphire, agate, emerald, onyx, ruby, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, turquoise, jacinth, and amethyst. The gates are made of pearls and the streets of gold.

If you don't believe me, go read Revelations 21.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking forward to getting there one day. I hope to see you there some day.


	25. Chapter 24: Mutant Manor part 2

**This is the last of the worlds other than Radiant Garden and some of my own creation!**

**We're coming to the end, can you guys believe it!?**

**Just to let you know, I will be rewriting my KH3 story to make it flow better and to add some more detail not previously put in. **

**So, to the story…**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**X-men (c) to Marvel!**

* * *

**Chapter 24: Mutant Manor part 2**

* * *

"You call that an attack!?"

"I'm sorry, I just don't want to lose control again." Blaze cowered away from Logan. She wasn't afraid of him, but afraid of hurting him should she lose control again.

The man growled. "Look kid, if you don't use your powers to their fullest you'll never learn to control them."

"Logan," Jean came up. "Maybe I can help get her through her mental block. Blaze, come with me." The girl quickly ran after the telepath.

Blaze had been trying for days to control her abilities and she'd either hold back or she'd blown her top. The others had been taking time and attending classes. Even Patria liked doing school here. Brimstone had taken his time to speak with Kurt and Piotr; they were telling him the story of Piper and Sera and he was writing it down so he could tell his mom all that she had forgotten.

Jean led her into a quiet room where they sat down on a couch. "Blaze, the only reason you aren't able to control your abilities is because you fear them. You have to accept that they are a part of you."

"I've almost killed people when I lose control. How can I accept this monster?"

"Blaze, let me help you." Jean gave a comforting smile. "We can take a walk in your mind and find the mental block and confront this monster in you." She touched the pyro's hand. "Do you want to try?"

Blaze gave a little nod. "I guess…"

Jean nodded, "Alright, just relax…" Blaze took a deep breath and allowed the telepath inside her mind.

* * *

Patria wanted to move to this world. People had powers and a special school to learn them. She fit right in here; no one cared about her temper, because they all understood losing control. She'd spent much of her free time in the weight room of the school. The only person she saw regularly was Yuyake and the horde of teen girls who followed him around, despite the fact that he already has a girlfriend.

And there he was now, with a young boy mutant. "Yake, I heard you're really strong. Can you teach me?"

"Sure!" The Keybearer grabbed two bars, used by gymnasts, swung himself up to where he was doing a hand-stand, and then started doing push-ups. The little boy stared at him with wide eyes. "It's not too hard to get strong, you just have to work at it." He swung back down. "We'll start with the lighter weights…"

"Tria." The girl looked up to see her twin. "How are you doing?"

She grinned. "I love this place! I'll stay here forever."

"Oh sis…"

A deep voice suddenly came from the doorway. "Hey Red!" Logan stood in the doorway. "Jean is working with the fire girl. You can use the Danger Room now."

"Thank you…" Patria jumped up and walked out, her twin following. "You wanna fight me?"

He shook his head. "Why don't we try and work together?"

"Whatever…"

* * *

_Blaze found herself standing in her bedroom, back in Radiant Garden. "Wait, how did I…?"_

_ "We're in your mind." Jean came walking up to her. "So, is this your home?"_

_ "Yes, this is my bedroom."_

_ Jean looked around. It is very unusual to be brought to such a private place. The room is usually where most of the secrets are kept, unless you are not very private with your room."_

_ "People come in and out all the time." Blaze assured her. "So, what do we do?"_

_ The telepath smiled. "It's your mind. Lead me to what is blocking your powers. You'll know where to go." Blaze looked at her skeptically, but something within her called to a specific place in her mind. Was it the block?_

_ "I-I think I know where to go…"_

* * *

"So zat is how it happened?" Kurt laughed. Refusing to stay sad forever. Kurt and Piotr offered to listen to Brim's stories of Sera.

Brim laughed. "My dad is not very eloquent and not very subtle either. Mom said it was very clear when he was going to propose."

"Your father sounds like a great man."

The young pyro smiled sadly. "Yeah… he is…"

* * *

Hikari and Xally stood outside the mansion, watching the younger mutants play. A boy was making multiple copies of himself and throwing a Frisbee for a girl who could change into a wolf.

"This place is so cool!"

"Tell me about it!" The girls could see Justin from where they stood, speaking with Professor Xavier.

One of the girls came running up to them. "Hi! You're some of our guests right? Wanna come play with us?"

"Sure!" The two girls followed her out to where a bunch of young mutants were playing what looked like tag, but powers were most certainly allowed. Hikari sighed, "I'm SO at a disadvantage… at least you have the Force."

Xally smiled. "Well, you have the Keyblade and magic. We'll be ok, if we stick together."

"Sounds good." The two began running, and the mutant kids came after them, believing that they would be the easiest targets. One of them, using air to propel himself towards them, reached out to tag Hikari, but Xally used the Force and hit him with a large tree branch, sending him spiraling out of control.

One of the other girls, shot fireworks out of her hands, at them. Hikari summoned her Keyblade and blocked them. The game went on and on, and the game moved further into the institute grounds, away from the mansion; the two Keyblade wielders holding their own against the mutants. Suddenly, one of the kids screamed.

An extremely large man held a young girl, and even her powers couldn't damage him. "Let her g… AUGH!" A wave a nausea and dizziness came over everyone and the children fell to the ground.

A woman with green hair, in a suit of swirling green and white, stepped forward. "Feeling a little dizzy?"

The feeling soon went away and the children looked up at the two adult mutants, who were joined by two others. One seemed to be a regular man, wearing a black choker, but the other was familiar to Hikari and Xally. "Jazzy!?"

"Hello there," the teal-haired assassin waved. "I'm so glad you brats ended up on my homeworld. I was so glad to be able to use some of my old contacts."

The regular man huffed. "Sahara, if our boss hears you talking about him like that…"

"Don't call me Sahara!" Jazzy turned on him. "I hate that codename!"

"W-what do you want!?" Hikari got to her feet, glaring at the mutants.

Jazzy smirked. "You and and your other Keybearing friend to come with us, of course." She allowed her fingernails to extend as she held them to the throat of their young hostage. "I seriously doubt I have to explain this situation to you."

Some of the mutant children got ready to use their powers, but the green-haired woman held out her arms and it sent them into the spell of dizziness again. "Thank you Vertigo…"

Xally looked at her fellow Keyblade wielder and nodded. "Alright we'll co…"

Out of the bushes, with a loud growl, came Logan. His metallic claws out as he swiped at the man holding the girl captive. In his surprise, the man dropped his hostage. The X-man grit his teeth. "Well… Blockbuster, Vertigo, Malice, and Sahara. I didn't think Sinister would be stupid enough to send you here to our home!"

"Mr. Sinister has his reasons," Jazzy snarled.

The regular man, Malice, smirked. "You can't kill me anyways, not while I'm possessing the body of an innocent man." Logan snarled, so animalistic that it startled the children.

Suddenly, the sky became cloudy and rumbled with thunder. Storm flew up, lightning around her. "Leave our home! Now!" Lighting struck the ground in front of Jazzy.

The assassin clenched her fists. "Fine… Malice, do your job."

"With pleasure…"

* * *

_"So, this is your homeworld?" Jean followed the young pyro though the dream version of her home._

_ Blaze gave a bright smile. "Yeah… It's nice huh?"_

_ "Yes it is." _

_ "Jean, how do you know that this block is a mental thing?"_

_ The telepath smiled. "You may not believe this, but my powers used to be just as potent and uncontrollable as yours. Professor Xavier helped me. You have full control of your powers on the outside, I didn't. It's the mental side you're having trouble with. Not only are you too frightened to use your full powers, but something in your mind is what is preventing you from having full control. I'm almost positive that it's because you don't believe that you can control them." _

_ "If that's the case," Blaze stopped, turning around to face her companion, "what can we do from in here?" _

_ Jean placed her hands on the shoulders of Blaze. "The best way to do it is to find the actual block and put it somewhere you'll never see it again. Now, you said you knew where to go. So, lead the way."_

_ "Ok…" the two headed for a drainage pipe. "My brother and my best friend used to come here all the time. We were never supposed to go this way but, like the bunch of crazy kids we were, we did it anyway."_

_ Jean chuckled. "Well then, lead on."_

* * *

Brim looked up as the entire group, save his sister and one other came in. Their faces covered with determination. "What's up?"

"Jazzy showed up with some other mutants. One of them possessed Hikari and took off."

"WHAT!?" The pyro leapt up. "Where'd they go?"

Glacies held up a hand. "The Professor is looking using something called Cerebro. But, we know who those mutants were working for. They mentioned a Mr. Sinister."

"Sinister…" Kurt grit his teeth. "Zat madman!"

"Who is he?"

Piotr stood up. "Sinister is a man vho takes mutants and harvests veir DNA for experiments."

"But Hikari isn't a mutant." Ryô exclaimed.

"But Blaze is…" Kurt interrupted. "And sche is fery powerful. He may vant to harfesd her DNA. So, he took Hikari as a hostage."

Brim clenched his fists. Now someone besides the MRD wanted his little sister. "But, Blaze is with Jean. She can't help."

"Sen vee must safe her."

* * *

"Thank you for coming to help us, Mr. Logan."

He growled. "That innocent kid was taken under my watch. And, you kids can't take Sinister alone."

"Yes," Storm nodded. "He is not only an immortal, powerful mutant, but also a genius with a masterful knowledge in genetics, a master surgeon, and mechanical engineer. He probably already knows we're coming and where we're coming from. He'll be very difficult to defeat."

"Well, crud…"

The Blackbird landed outside a warehouse and everyone piled out. Logan sliced the doors apart and they ran inside. At the end of the hall stood Hikari, a black choker, the sign of the possession of Malice, around her neck.

"Kari!" Yuyake ran towards his friend, only to be stopped by Glacies.

"Oh let him come," Hikari/Malice mocked, "let him try to rescue his little friend." She turned and ran off.

Justin huffed. "Trap…"

"You don't need to be a Jedi to know that."

Xally looked up at the X-men. "What do we do?"

Kurt gave a little smile, "Shprink zee trap."

"Nothing else we can do…" They all moved forward, only to be caught in a telekinetic field, freezing them all in place.

A man with white skin stood in front of them, grinning wickedly. "I knew you would come…" His grin dropped as he looked around at his captives. "She is not here." He turned to Jazzy, who stood behind him, beside Rodia. "She is not here. Where is the mutant you spoke of?!"

"Mr. Sinister, she should've come with them!" The assassin turned to her partner. "Rodia! Force it out of one of them!"

The other assassin strode forward, stopping before Brimstone. "She's your sister, so…" She waved her hand and water came up from the small containers on the caps of her boots. "Where is your sister?"

"Listen, hot-stuff, you may be charming, but I'm not telling you anything."

"Ok…" with the motions of her hands, the water came up, breaking through the telekinetic field. It hovered in front of Brim for a second before encasing his head, cutting off his breath.

"BRIM!"

"Stop!" Glacies yelled. "She's not here! She's working on her powers!"

Mr. Sinister allowed Rodia to remove the water from around Brim's head before using his telekinesis to fling the Keyblade wielders and X-men against a wall before releasing them. "I already have the DNA of the X-men with you and I know how to defeat them… Please, try and attack us. Show me your power…"

* * *

_Blaze and Jean came out of the pipe into a dark cavern. It looked as if no one but Blaze and her friends had been here in years. "This place was sealed off because of the tech in the far end. It was created by some enemies of the past and our ruler wanted all of their work sealed away. It's safe now, but it does bring back bad memories."_

_ "What is this place called?"_

_ "The Cavern of Remembrance," Blaze walked along. "It's a long walk normally, but Brim and I found shortcut passages that can get us places in about five minutes. The passages loop around to give someone a sense of being far away." She went around a boulder and found the small opening she'd been looking for. _

_ Minutes later, they came into a round area with white floor and stairs. The computers that lay inside the walls were white as well. Around the round area, a wall of water came up, instead of running downwards the water ran upwards. _

_ "This is amazing…"_

_ "Welcome to the Garden of Assemblage." Blaze smiled. "One of the most secret places in our wor… hang on, what's that?" A large black block sat on the ground about ten feet away, on their left, in front of one of many darkened pedestals. _

_ Jean smiled. "That would be our mental block." _

_ "That's what's keeping me from controlling my powers?" _

_ The telepath walked towards it. "In your mind, everything is physical. A mental block is literally a block."_

_ "Whoa…" the pyro stopped as she looked up at the pedestal. "Th-this is…" On the pedestal was the image of a chakram. "I know why it's here… so, what do I do now?" _

_ The older mutant smiled. "It's your block, created by you believing that you could not control your powers. You have the ability to control them, you just don't believe that you can. When you know that you can control them, without the shadow of a doubt, the block can be destroyed." _

_ "Jean, I-I can control them… I understand. I know that this was the only thing holding me back. Without it, I can have full control!" The block flashed._

_ "Great! Now, destroy it!" _

_ Blaze pointed her hand at the block, shooting a blast of fire which enveloped the block, melting it away until there was nothing left. "I did it!" _

_ "Yes! Now we can…" Jean tensed, looking around. "Someone is here… someone else has entered your mind."_

_ "What!?" The two looked around. Standing in front of the last pedestal was a woman with blonde hair. "It can't be…Aunt Naminé?"_

_ The woman turned. "Blaze! It worked! I made it!" _

_ "Aunt Nami, what are you doing here?" _

_ "I was trying to contact you," she smiled. "I've been blocked from contacting my son, so I tried you. Your mind was open." _

_ Jean approached cautiously. "How did you get in here?"_

_ "I have powers that able me to manipulate memories and I have learned to send a message to a person's subconscious. How did you get here?"_

_ Jean raised an eyebrow, "I'm here to help Blaze control her powers."_

_ "Hold on!" the girl looked at her aunt. "I'm glad to see you and all, but what are you doing here? You contacted me for a reason."_

_ Naminé nodded. "Yes, I wanted to help you. I know where you need to go to get the last two pieces in order to reach us: Tech Town and Hazy Hamlet. And… I know who's behind this whole thing."_

_ "Who!?"_

_ The woman moved to speak, but she suddenly cringed, as if in pain. "He's trying to pull me back; I'll fight him. I'll fight so he has no choice but to come here himself. You can see who took us and who's the cause of your troubles."_

_ Jean held Blaze's shoulders as the blonde woman shuddered with agony. Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared before her, his back to the two girls. As the image became clearer, Naminé began fading. Blaze stared in horror at who she saw before her. "No! I-it can't be…"_

* * *

Jean and Blaze both awoke with a start, back in the real world. The younger girl immediately began stammering fearfully. "I-I mean, it can't be him… he's dead… It's impossible…"

"Blaze, calm down…"

"Calm down! I can't!" The pyro jumped up. "I have to tell the others…"

"The others are out on a mission and need your assistance." Professor Xavier rolled into the room, face grim. "Mr. Sinister, an old enemy of ours kidnapped one of your friends to find you. The others went after her and I have been unable to contact them. Jean, you and Scott will take Blaze to Sinister's base, but you must not be seen. Sinister wants the two of you more than anyone, but you are the best person to free their friend from Malice."

They nodded. "Understood, Professor."

* * *

Sinister was certainly as prepared as he could be. If anyone got near him, he would use telekinesis to put Hikari between him and his attacker.

Vertigo was also making things harder; she used her powers at every opportunity. A few of the Keybearers had thrown up because of her and it was affecting Wolverine just as much.

"W-we're never gonna win like this…" Glacies clutched her stomach as Vertigo caused her to gag.

Suddenly, the doors burst open and fire crawled in. The flames ran across the floor, forming a circle around the X-men and Keybearers. The flames didn't burn them, but it singed Sinister and his men.

Stepping into the room, came Blaze, eyes alight and hair blazing. The flames wrapped around her body as she walked. At first, the Keybearers were scared. She looked just as if she'd lost control.

She walked through the fire, standing in front of her brother before smiling. "Hi there…"

"Blaze you're in control!?"

She held up her hands, the fire swirling around. "You bet!" She pointed at Hikari, who stood by Sinister; the fire wrapped around the girl, pulling her in without burning her even a little bit.

"What are you…?" Hikari/Malice gripped her head before the black choker around her neck vanished and she collapsed.

The choker appeared on Vertigo's neck. "Mr. Sinister! It's Jean Gray! She kicked me out!"

"Jean Gray… find her! And don't let those others escape!"

Kurt grabbed the flaming hand of Blaze, and it didn't hurt him. "Eferybody catch hands." They did and, in a puff of smoke they appeared outside. "Sanks Blaze for zee distraction."

"No problem." Her fire died down. "How's Hikari?"

Yuyake held the smaller girl in his arms. "She's fine…"

They climbed into the Blackbird, where Jean and Scott awaited. "What were you thinking!?" Logan yelled. "Why did you two come? Sinister wants your DNA more than anything!"

"We had to help." Scott spoke sharply before turning his back on the angry mutant to start the jet.

Jean walked over to her fellow red-head. "So, how did it go, Blaze?"

"Perfectly! Taking out that block really gave me an awareness of how to control my abilities. And… I plan to tell the others what I saw. I have to…"

Jean nodded. "You should probably head out to where Naminé told you to go."

"Yes…"

As they arrived back at mansion, the professor awaited them. He gave a sigh of relief. "I am glad you all made it back safely."

"Yes," Blaze stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Professor, but we have to leave. It's a matter of urgency."

Patria held up a hand. "Hold up! Who do you think you are? We don't follow your orders. What is so urgent?"

"Aunt Naminé contacted me and I know where the last two lock pieces are AND I saw who was behind our parent's disappearance!"

Everyone froze. "W-we have to go…!"

"Go." Professor Xavier nodded. This is the most important thing for you to do.

"Thank you!"

They said their good byes and Kurt teleported away and back with the book that Brim had been working on. "Here… Please, tell your mom vere she is from. If you can, please brink her here one day."

Piotr nodded. "Bring your father too."

"We will…"

* * *

"_You WHAT?_!" Sasuke, on the communication screen, stared in shock.

Blaze nodded. "Aunt Nami contacted me and told me where the last two lock pieces are. We're coming back to Radiant Garden to discuss a plan of action before we head out."

The guard nodded. "_Sounds good, see you when you get here._"

"Oh, and make sure my mom is at the castle. We found out some things about her past that I'm sure she'd like to know."

_"I will_."

Blaze shut off the screen. "You didn't mention that you know who's behind this." She could almost feel Glacies's glare on the back of her head.

"I couldn't… If I told them, we'd never get to go rescue our parents."

Pith sat up. "Why?"

"They'd say it was too dangerous and that we'd never win." Blaze shuddered, thinking again about what she saw. The looks she got basically asked her to tell who the perpetrator was. "Think back, to all the stories we've heard since we were little. Who was the one who was behind everything? Who was elderly, walked hunched over, and…?" She didn't have to say anything else.

Everyone's eyes went wide and even Patria's had a certain degree of fear in them. "Him?! B-but he's dead!"

"Apparently not!"

Blaze looked around. "I saw him with my own eyes… it was him. Xehanort took our parents…"

* * *

Lea rolled his neck as he sat up, looking around at the darkness around him. "Where the heck am I…?"

"Does it really matter? You'll never leave her alive anyways."

The pyro sat up at the familiar voice. "Isa… stop joking around." His friend walked into view and Lea could see his claymore out and he was dressed in the Organization XIII coat. "Isa, this joke isn't funny anymore."

"Oh, this is no joke, Lea." The old voice caused the Keybearer to turn around, staring in shock at the familiar old man. "I-it can't be… you died!"

"Oh, did I?"

Lea turned around and saw the old man, but his eyes drifted to the person he drug behind him, by their hair. "SERA!"

"She's not dead… not yet…" the grin his face bore was sickeningly familiar. "But you will be."

The pyro gasped as a sharp pain hit his back. He rolled over to see Isa hefting up his blood-stained claymore; it was too easy to tell where the pain in Lea's back came from. "I-Isa… why?" Then, he noticed his friends eyes… instead of the marine color he was so used to seeing once again, it was a sinister golden color. "N-no…"

His friend gave a sinister grin. "Know this, 'old friend', when you are gone, Sera will die, by our hand and your children will follow soon after."

"No! Please…!" His plea went unanswered as Isa brought his claymore smashing downward… "NOOO!"

* * *

**Now I promise you guys, Xehanort will not be the villain every time. This is just a one-story thing. **

**Now you know though…**

**That was the last of the worlds, save Radiant Garden and the worlds of my own creation. **

**There will be no more teasers since we're so close to the end.**

* * *

**How to Show Love**

We speak of love in movies and books all the time. However, do we really know what love is?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 gives us the answer. "_Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres._"

I think that speaks for itself. Also, we are called to love others, no matter what. God loves us all unconditionally and we are called to do the same.

This definition of love is quoted at weddings, because it is exactly how things should be between a husband and wife. However, it is not limited to that. It can be love between friends, family, or just to love everyone.


	26. Chapter 25: Radiant Garden visit4 part 1

**Hi!**

**First thing: yes, this chapter is short. I wanted to split the chapters because there are two big things going on and I'd rather them have their own chapters.**

**Second: I'll be rewriting my KH3 story AND the four prequel stories (Training Series). I'll start those soon.**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Hinata and Sasuke (c) to Yamichaos27!**

**All other OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Radiant Garden visit 4**

* * *

Glacies lay in bed, dreaming…

* * *

_She stood in the middle of the Land of Departure castle's main hall. A deep voice spoke from behind her. "Glacies!" She turned and saw her father sitting on one of the thrones._

_"Dad! It's good to see you!" She paused, taking in the strange, disappointed look on his face. "What is it?"_

_"I guess you were right Glacies… you weren't ready to be a master."_

_"Huh?"_

_Terra stood up and walked towards her. "We do not need a coward as a Keyblade Master."_

_"Coward!?" Glacies stared at her father in shock. "Dad, you knew that my experience with Pete traumatized me as a child. I never got the chance to face that fear and conquer it… I-I can do it. He still frightens me, but I know I can beat him. If you could beat Xehanort, with the help of your friends, I can beat Pete with the help of mine."_

_Her father pointed to the door. "Get out! There is no room in this castle or in our family for a coward!" The girl moved to protest. "GET OUT!"_

* * *

The Glacies shot up to a sitting position. Her heart said that her father would never act like that, but the fear still sat in the back of her mind. The girl got up, wrapping herself in her robe before walking out towards the common area.

"You ok?" Xally sat at the helm, a book in her hands.

"Just a dream… hey, I'm going to make a cup of tea, would you like one?"

"Sure Glace." The older girl left and came back with two cups of tea. "So, what was the dream about?"

Glacies sighed. "It was about Dad… in the dream, he found out my fear of Pete and he said I wasn't worthy to be a Keyblade Master. He called me a coward and told me that there was no place for cowards in our family and he told me to leave."

Xally sipped her tea, "That's a real sucky dream… but you know as well as I do that Dad would never say those things."

"I know… but I just hope I have the chance to face my fears. I don't want Dad and Mom to find out."

Xally, "You know, I have a feeling that they already know. And they made you a master anyways…"

"You may be right…"

* * *

"GLACIES!" The moment the Gummi ship landed, Ignis ran to the door. His sister was the first out of the ship.

The girl picked up her baby brother. "Hey there! You miss me?"

"Always!"

The greetings were short as Ansem and Sasuke got right down to business. "You know where the last two lock pieces are?"

"I do." Blaze nodded. "Aunt Nami, got in contact and told me that the last two pieces to reach them are on Tech Town and Hazy Hamlet. Fortunately some of us have family on those worlds, so it shouldn't be too hard to find the lock pieces."

Sasuke smiled hopefully. "Then we're close… any other news?" Everyone shook their heads, except for Hikari. "Well then, you kids rest. If the next two worlds are easy, you still must rest up before saving your parents."

* * *

Patria sat at a desk with her brother. "So, we haven't heard much from those assassins for a while… I thought it would be good to, you know, get a record of them and what we know of them."

"Sis, when you're not super angry, you're super smart. You sure you want to spend all your days fighting? You'd make a good scientist."

"Like Uncle Ansem?" she shook her head. "I couldn't sit behind a desk and do research all day…" She pulled out paper. "Ok, so the first guy we met was Xext and he could control a person's body and he had this weird fire stuff."

"Then Malachi," Pith watched as his sister wrote down everything. "He had super strength, and he was a psycho killer." Patria looked up fro him to continue. "Then there was Rodia, and she could control water. Jazzy was next, with her long fingernail knives and her ability to control sand." His sister nodded for him to continue. "Then there was Lyla, with her different arrows and lastly there was the guy who called himself a wizard: Cander."

Patria put down her pencil. "That was the last one, except for the "mistress" they all seem to serve. And there was that person in a red cloak we saw…"

Her twin sighed. "Assassins… of all the things we had to deal with, crazy people who want us dead."

"We can handle all of them, I know we can…

* * *

"Try and catch me Ignis!" Sasuke's youngest child ran through the flowers with Ignis behind her. Rydia watched the two children play.

The little boy caught onto his playmate's hand. "Gotcha Hinata!" This game of tag lasted only a few more minutes before the little boy stopped. "Hinata, do you hear crying?"

The two children stopped, and sure enough, they could hear someone two went around a corner and saw a small cat-girl crying. "Who are you? Why are you crying?"

"Oh… hello, my name is Pistol. I can't find my daddy." She took Ignis's hand and stood up "Please, will you help me find him?"

"Of course, Pistol. We can go back and ask my mom to help." Rydia took her other hand and tried to lead her back to the open area.

The cat-girl pulled away. "I don't think he could've gone far. Please, can we go look for him."

Ignis turned to Hinata. "I'll help her find her daddy. You can tell your mom where I went." His playmate nodded and ran off. He walked with Pistol and they looked around.

She led him into an alley. "I think he went this way!" As she pulled him into the alley, the boy heard something. Along with his small footsteps, and the small ones of Pistol, he could hear a third set of feet, behind them, much heavier than his own.

He leaned forward and whispered. "Pistol, there's someone behind us…"

"I know. It's my daddy!" Before the boy could say another word, a large hand clamped over his mouth and a second hand grabbed his arm.

The toddler was turned around and he looked into the face of a very fat cat. Even at his age, he knew who this was. Pete looked down at Pistol. "Great job kiddo! You make me proud! Now, go get his friends… especially his big sissy of a sister."

"On my way, Daddy!" She took off running, leaving Ignis in the arms of Pete.

* * *

Rydia looked down at her daughter. "Where did Ignis and that girl you mentioned go?"

"I don't know, Mommy…" She looked up as Pistol came running around the corner, looking frightened. "Where's Ignis!?"

"Some big man took him! He said for Ignis's sister to come find him."

The woman stiffened. "Come with me, girls! We'll let the others know." She hurried Hinata off but Pistol stayed behind, smirking.

* * *

"And who told you this? The kidnapper?" Glacies wrung her hands nervously.

Rydia shook her head. "A little girl… whom we lost on our way here. She said she'd lost her dad and Ignis went to help her. Then she came running back saying he'd been kidnapped."

"What was the girl's name?"

Hinata piped up. "Her name was Pistol!"

"That explains it…" Patria growled. "Pete's little brat. I bet he's the one who took your brother, Glace."

The young Keyblade master sat down, clenching her fists. Of all the people who could've taken her baby brother, it would be the same person who kidnapped her as a child. Her brother just happened to be the same age she was, when Pete kidnapped her. "I'll go get him…"

She stood up and stormed out of the room, with Justin and Xally right behind her. "Glace, can you face him alone? I mean, you are…" Justin's voice lowered to a whisper. "You're afraid of him…"

"I know, but that's my baby brother! If I have to, I can fight. I have to, for him." Glacies took a deep breath and ran out of the castle. She had pretty good idea of where her brother would be. The best place to take hostages here was the Dark Depths and the castle that stood there. So, that's where she went.

* * *

"Let me go you big meanie!"

Pete rolled his eyes; this kid just wouldn't shut up. "Listen here twerp! I'm in charge and you do what I tell you!" He grabbed Ignis and wrapped rope around him, pinning the boy's arms to his side. Pete grabbed the end of the rope, like the boy was a dog on a leash.

Ignis walked up to Pete and kicked the fat cat's leg. "Let me go! Or my big sis is gonna kick your butt!"

"Your big sis is a wimp, now shut up and come on." Pulling on the rope leash, he dragged Ignis away.

"No! Let me go! Glacies! GLACIES!"

* * *

The young Keyblade Master's head perked up as she heard the faintest cry of her name. She knew her brother was counting on her, even if her opponent scared her. Plenty of Heartless stood before the Dark Castle, including one, she'd never seen before, but had heard of from her mother. She'd never wanted to fight the Dark Hide, but here one stood, pacing in front of the castle gates.

"Of course…" Glacies summoned her Keyblade and slid down the hill, right in front of the Dark Hide. "Funny thing is, monster, you don't scare me." The Heartless snarled and ran at her. She took a deep breath and swung her Keyblade…

* * *

A roar echoed through the dark castle, causing Pete, Pistol, and Ignis to look up. The little boy smirked at his captors. "See! Dat's my big sis! She gonna beat you up!"

"I highly doubt that? Now, sweetie, watch him." Pete handed the end of the rope to his daughter before lumbering out of the room.

He came around to the front gate, only to see it smashed in and the Dark Hide vanishing into a dark cloud. Glacies stepped around the corner, freezing in place as she saw Pete. "Wh-where is my brother!?"

"I'll tell you, if you beat me." His mouth spread into a wide grin. "But you're two scared… like a wittle baby!" He laughed. "You're still that scared little girl I grabbed all those years ago."

The girl took a deep breath and tightened her grip on her Keyblade. "I will beat you… for my brother…"

Pete laughed. "All you're gonna do is run and cry for Mommy and Daddy! And then your brother will go to Maleficent."

His laughter rang out, echoing throughout the halls of the castle. Glacies stood there, facing the cause of her childhood trauma, as he mocked her. But, she couldn't lose her baby brother to Maleficent… she just couldn't. "GLACIES!" her head snapped up at her brother's voice. "KICK HIS BUTT!"

She smiled; Ignis believed in her, so she couldn't fail him now. Taking one last deep breath, she took that first step, and then the next; she ran at Pete, much to his surprise. "You will frighten me no longer!" Her Keyblade came up and then slammed down on Pete's head.

The cat stumbled back, clutching his head. "Why you little!" He stomped, and charged at the girl, who flipped over him before hitting Pete with a Fira spell. Pete turned around and rolled an explosive ball at her before charging again. Glacies blocked the ball and jumped over the cat again, but this time she grabbed the back of Pete's collar and used her momentum to kick him in the back; he fell forward, his head slamming into the wall. He slumped down, unconscious.

"I-I did it…!" Glacies smiled and dismissed her Keyblade. Running down the hall, she could hear Pistol trying to shut Ignis up. She followed the noise right to the kids. Her brother stood tied up and Pistol holding the rope; both kids stopped and stared at her.

"Sis!" her brother cheered while the cat-girl tried to run.

Glacies reached down and caught the girl by the collar, picking her up and tucking Pistol under her left arm. "Now, we're going to send you back to your mom. We'll see what she thinks of your actions."

"No! Let me go! I want my Daddy!"

"Your Daddy is a bad example." The older girl cut her brother free and led him outside. "Ignis, you ok?"

The boy nodded. "I knew you'd come get me!" He stuck his tongue out at Pistol. "You need a spanking! You're a bad girl!"

Glacies laughed. "Yes, she's going to go home and her mom's gonna deal with her."

"Good!"

* * *

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Glacies and Ignis came in, with Pete's daughter in hand. Glacies handed the pouting cat-girl to Sasuke. "This one needs to go back to her mother."

"I'll take her tonight."

"Thanks!" The girl picked up her brother and cuddled him. "I'm just glad to have my baby brother back."

Justin walked up to her. "So, did Pete give you much trouble?"

"That guy's so weak, how could he give anyone trouble…" Patria yawned.

Xally rolled her eyes. "All he does is cause trouble…"

"Don't worry," Glacies smiled, looking at her brother. "I took care of him… to save my brother, and that's all there is to it." She winked at the two Jedi apprentices who just smiled knowingly and proudly.

* * *

Patria sat outside, on the balcony of her room. She liked the cool night air; it calmed her down and seemed to make her feel at home.

"You like the night too?" She jumped and summoned her Keyblade. "Calm down, I'm not gonna hurt you." A brown-haired boy, she'd seen around, sat beside her. "Remember me? Ivan Leonheart?"

She nodded. "Squall and Rinoa's kid right?"

"That's right." He sighed. "I get lonely running around after dark. Would you like to join me on a midnight run across rooftops?"

Patria smiled. "Sure!" She watched as the boy grabbed a repelling cord and held out an arm for her to take. The girl smirked and grabbed the rope herself, before jumping off. The boy chuckled and followed her down. The two went along in silence, jumping across rooftops, under the moon and stars.

The running got old soon and the two found themselves atop the bailey, staring out over the Great Maw. "Hey, Patty, do you mind if I call you that?" The girl shook her head. "Patty, do you miss your parents?"

"Yeah, I do… I may have been rebellious, but I love them and if anythings happened to them, I'll kill the one responsible!" She looked over at him. "So, why invite me to run? Yuyake's the rooftop runner guy…"

Ivan shrugged. "You were awake, and I've kinda wanted to hang out with you?"

"Why?"

"No reason…" the boy laid back and Patria followed suit. Patria stared up at the stars, wondering if her mom and dad were alright. Soon, her eyes became heavy and she fell asleep.

* * *

"What the…?" Patria sat up. She'd just woken up to find herself still on the bailey roof, but now with a pillow and blanket. And, beside her lay a bouquet of red and purple flowers, along with a note that read "I look forward to running with you again, Patty. -Ivan"

The girl stared at the note. "Why that little flirt!"

"Aw… did the dark and tormented girl find a lover?"

Said 'dark and tormented girl' leapt up and turned around. There stood all the assassins: Xext, Malachi, Jazzy, Rodia, Lyla, Cander, and two others.

The first wore a long, plain white dress; her hair, like Xext's was white, but her's hung straight down her back and the bangs fell around her face on one side, while the other covered her left eye. Just like Xext, the eye that showed was red.

The second wore a red cloak and the hood covered her face, all but her deep red lips. A long braid of dark-brown hair hung over her shoulder. The dress she wore had a deep v-neck with purple straps; everything else was red, and the top of the dress opened up on the sides, showing her skin along the sides of her stomach. Her black boots came up to her knees matching the black gloves on her hands.

"So this is the whole crew…" Sora's daughter smirked. "It's about time."

The one in the red cloak laughed, but it sounded very melodious and proud. "Hello, it's nice to finally meet you. You may call me Mortem. I've been testing your strength through my servants. And I have one more I'd like you to meet…" She motioned for the new girl in white to approach. "Patria, daughter of Sora and Kairi… I'd like you to meet, my Angel of Death…"

* * *

**Don't you just love chapters that just cut off like that?**

**I know I do!**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Running the Race**

Have any of you ever run a race?

Have you ever thought of life as a race? Think about it. At the end of life, if we've accepted Jesus, our prize is to spend eternity with him.

Life has been referred to as a race more than once in the bible. At the end of Paul's life, before he was executed for his faith wrote to his close friend in 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

If life is like a race, do you just take it easy an not try? Not if you want to win! Life is a long race, that takes endurance to run a long time, and to get through trials.

Hebrews 12:1 says "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Continuing to sin adds weight and makes the run harder. Sure, we're human and we'll sin sooner or later, but we must ask for God's forgiveness and get rid of that sin to we can run our race well and win.


	27. Chapter 26: Radiant Garden visit 4 part

**Guys! We only have a few chapters to go!**

**And I have an announcement, I'll be putting my Keyblade War story on hiatus for now. I want to wait until 2.8 comes out.**

**And I started my KH3 redo, beginning with my Training Series stories. Please, go check them out!**

**So, let's get to it!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Sasuke (c) to Yamichaos27!**

**All other OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 26: Radiant Garden visit 4 (part 2)**

* * *

The Angel of Death glared down at Patria, but her eye seemed glazed over. The red-head stood up, glaring back. "Nice name, your grandma give it to you?"

The girl kept silent, but two wings suddenly spread out from behind her. They looked like angel wings, but the feathers seemed sharper.

"Angel, you may kill her, I'm tired of dealing with this brat." The boss turned, her cloak twisting around her. "The rest of you, have a party. Destroy anything you like. And go wipe out that Ido camp, while you're at it." She vanished in a dark flash.

Patria jumped back, as Angel swung her wings towards her. One wing caught the Keybearer's arm, slicing clean through the skin. The girl grabbed her bleeding arm and leapt down off the bailey roof, onto the walkway below.

The Angel of Death followed her, landing in front of her; the pale girl's hand suddenly glowed green and she reached forward, towards Patria.

"What the!?" Patria jumped backwards and blood flew towards her assailant. Some of the blood hit the girl's glowing hand, and the second it did, the blood froze into solid ice. "Ok…?"

Angel charged forward and the Keyblade wielder noticed that the assassin was trying to touch her wound. Suddenly, it clicked; the Angel of Death was trying to touch the blood on her arm, to freeze it, and if all her blood froze, it would kill her. After dodging a few different swipes from her assailant, the Keybearer leapt over the walkway, towards the Great Maw. As she jumped, a searing, tearing pain, slashed through her back.

"AUGH!" She fell down, crashing down against the rocky ground. Vaguely, she heard a familiar male voice above, as a darkness began to cloud her vision.

* * *

"We're under attack! Battle Stations!" Sasuke drew out his sword, Moon Cutter, as the civilians scattered to their homes. Dilan and Aeleus came running up, just as Xext and the other assassins began to attack the castle.

Glacies was the first Keyblade wielder outside to help, with the rest of the group following behind.

"Look out!" Pith leapt forward, summoning his Keyblade to block an attack from Xext, as he tried to attack Dilan from behind.

"Ah, so twin number two. Good to see you."

"What is this all about, Xext?" The boy glared at the pale assassin. "What do you want!?"

Xext shrugged. "Our mistress told us to attack the castle, so we attack the castle." The two boys looked up as a girl, who looked to be a female version of Xext, land beside them. The long wings on her back dissipated. "Ah, my dear sister! I assume that you took care of Patria."

"Huh!?"

"Yes, brother," the girl spoke in a small, wistful sounding voice. "The girl is dead."

But, Pith did not notice much detail about her; his mind stuck on her words. "Wh-what did you do to my sister!?"

"She is dead…" The girl's voice stayed flat and calm, as if she didn't care what happened to Patria.

"N-No!" The Keybearer's breath halted. He barely pulled his wits about him before the assassin attacked him.

The white-clad boy continued his assault, with his own sister, standing nearby, watching with her one scarlet eye. The more attacks, Xext threw in, the wider his grin became. He knew that his prey could not truly concentrate; Pith's thoughts were fixated on Patria. He could only focus on the pale girl's words and the fate that his twin might have met.

* * *

"Ow…"

"Careful, Patria. Let the Cure spell do its work."

The older twin found herself lying on her stomach, with a searing pain in her back. A old man and woman sat nearby; the man's graying red hair fell about his face, and the woman's white hair stood tucked under a bonnet.

The Keybearer took only a few moments before she recognized the two. "Uncle Tomoya?"

"Patria, lay still…"

She smiled up at them. While Ansem the Wise was her great-grandfather's brother, Tomoya was her great-grandmother's brother. She hadn't seen her other great uncle in a long time.

"You're very lucky," his wife, Sanai, helped Patria sit up. "Your back was sliced clean open. And, if our encampment hadn't been right here, you would've bled out."

"I'm glad you guys camped outside the city…" Patria smiled, looking around and seeing that she was inside a small wooden structure, probably her great uncle's wagon. Tomoya and Sanai were Idos; a traveling people group, not unlike the gypsies that her her Uncle Riku and father had met in one of the dream worlds.

"Patria, what happened?"

"Stupid assassins." Patria grumbled. "We've been fighting them for a while and now there's a new chick. They called her the Angel of Death, and she fits that description. She was the one who injured me."

Their ears perked up at screams. Tomoya threw the wagon door open and they all saw a wave of sand knocked aside other wagons. The Ido people scrambled to get away. Patria jumped out, able to see Jazzy walking through the encampment, using her sand to destroy the homes around her. "I'll handle her!"

The Keybearer jumped down, summoning Fencing Fury in her hands. The assassin stopped. "Well, looks like Xext's sister messed up, for once."

"Lucky me, now I get to kick your butt!"

"You can try…"

* * *

Bang! Hikari hit the wall. The blow from Malachi's hammer made her gut ache. She ducked as Brim took a blow from the same hammer and nearly landed atop her.

"Son of a…" the pyro looked down at the girl and coughed. "Uh, son of a biscuit…!" He stood up. "These guys aren't holding back this time."

The little girl shook her head. "No, they are. They're not trying to kill us."

"True."

Glacies stood, fighting back-to-back with Sasuke. "What exactly is their goal here? They're not trying to kill us, but they're trying much harder in their fighting."

"I don't know," Sasuke blocked a spell from Cander. "And I don't like not knowing… but isn't their one person missing? That Jazzy girl…?"

The Keyblade master blocked Rodia's attack. "It's a diversion! But, what for? What could them be trying to keep us away from?"

* * *

"Out of the way!" Patria shoved the panicking Ido people away from the waves of sand. Jazzy was making her goals clear; she wanted all these people, and Patria, dead.

The Ido people ran to hide behind the Keyblade wielder, as the mutant continued her onslaught. The sand decimated all the Ido wagons and many of the people could be seen, their hands sticking up through piles of sand, as they tried to hold their breath.

"Why are you attacking these people!?"

"When my mistress comes to claim this world as her own, she does not want this rabble to be present." Jazzy grinned before sending a small pillar of sand towards an Ido child.

The Keybearer cast a Thundza spell, turning the sand to glass before it struck the child. "You're out of your mind, for more than one reason. I may not be nice, but killing innocent people, especially kids, is not ok. And two, there is no way anyone is going to let your boss take over this world."

"Like any of you could stop us!"

A gunshot rang out and the assassin gasped, grabbing her right leg as it buckled beneath her. Patria looked up to see Ivan sitting on a ledge; he held a sniper rifle with a blade atop the barrel. He cocked the rifle and shot Jazzy a second time, this time in the left shoulder. "Sorry I'm late, Patty."

"WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN!?" The Keyblader glared up at him. "I could've used backup way earlier!"

He jumped down. "Sorry, my mom needed me home to do chores. But at least I showed up. So, who's sandy?"

"That's Jazzy…" Patria grinned as the mutant opened a dark corridor and dragged herself in. "She was trying to wipe out the Idos, for her boss."

"Well, dang. I'm glad I showed up; I'm friends with a lot of these people."

The girl looked around. "And why didn't my other friends show up here?"

"Well, the castle is under attack…" the boy shouldered his rifle. "But, the guards and your friends have it under control. I think that they were only attacking the castle to distract them, so that Jazzy could attack the Idos. They'll probably retreat now." He smiled. "Go help them out, I'll make sure no one comes back to attack here."

"Thanks Ivan…" Patria turned and ran towards the castle.

* * *

"Retreat! The plan has failed!" Everyone looked up at a rooftop, where a girl stood by a dark corridor. The red hood covered her face and her cloak fluttered in the wind.

All the assassins turned away from their battle and dashed into dark corridors. Then the girl in red turned and vanished into her own corridor.

"What just happened…?"

"Don't know…"

Patria came running up. "Guess Ivan was right…"

"TRIA!" Pith ran over and tackled her in a hug. "You're alright!"

The older twin looked at her brother in confusion. "Uh, when the heck did we start hugging each other?"

"Xext said you were dead…!"

Patria paused at those words before smiling. "Didn't think you cared that much…" The twins chuckled lightly before sitting up. "But, Xext was almost right. His sister, that "Angel of Death" girl, nearly had me. Luckily I landed near the Ido encampment, and Uncle Tomoya and Aunt Sanai patched me up. Good thing too; this whole attack on the castle was a distraction. Jazzy was going to wipe out the Idos. Ivan and I took care of her."

"Well, I'm glad you saved them. Thank you." Sasuke helped both of the kids up.

Glacies smiled. "We've had an eventful day, and it's not even noon."

"Now, I'm done…" Brim yawned. "I don't like waking up before eleven, and it's only ten-thirty. I'm going back to bed…" The young pyro waved and turned around, going back inside.

Glacies shook her head. "I guess we're leaving for Tech Town tomorrow…"

"These next two worlds will be easy. My grandparents rule Tech Town, so we should have plenty of help there. And Glacies, your grandparents live in Hazy Hamlet; I'm sure the rebellion has overthrown the horrible government by now, so we should have help there." Ryô smiled excitedly.

"Please, don't jinx it Ry…"

Sasuke looked at Patria and Pith. "Aren't you kids nervous? You're going to be going after whoever took your parents. That person has to be extremely strong…"

"We can take care of it. Trust us."

* * *

Xion's eyes felt heavy; when she opened them, every muscle in her body tensed. She found herself floating in a tank. This tank, she'd been inside far too many times.

In front of her stood a man she never wished to see again. Xemnas smirked at her. "You were dreaming quite a lot, Xion. But I am not surprised, since you completed your task yesterday and destroyed your counterpart."

Xion felt so confused, but the oxygen mask over her mouth prevented her from speaking. However her breath quickened as she noticed her reflection; she didn't see her black hair and indigo eyes, but instead she was a perfect reflection of Sora.

"Roxas was a good warrior, but alas, he had to be destroyed in order for you to reach your potential." Xemnas placed a hand on her cryo-tank and darkness began seeping into the tank.

"Now, time for you to become completely loyal until the day you become a vessel…" Xion felt the darkness come around her and her reflection suddenly changed. She still looked like Sora, but her eyes turned a deep gold and her ears turned pointed.

She struggled in the tank but the darkness clouded her vision and all went to blackness.

* * *

**Short and sweet.**

**I needed this done before the Tech Town chapter, which I am VERY excited for.**

**And now you've met the last two members of the assassin group. And I promise, this won't be the last you'll see of them.**

**Next time…**

_**The group visits Ven's homeworld and doesn't get the help they anticipated. Instead an elven witch and her two children cause trouble. And, they also hide a deep, dark secret. In Tech Town!**_

* * *

**Love Everyone**

What dominates our news stories, especially in the US? Discrimination…

Whether it's about race, religion, gender, or whatever. This is an issue seen everywhere.

The bible speaks on this topic and how to deal with it.

Galatians 3: 27-29 says, _"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."_

We are not to discriminate, no matter what. If we are in Christ (Christians) we are all the same. But, that does not mean we can discriminate non-Christians.

We are all made in God's image. And we are called to love everyone, no matter what. Now, that does not mean we have to agree with everything people do or say. If people are doing wrong or follow a different religion, we don't have to agree, but we still have to love them. And reach out to them.

And if you're one who is being discriminated against, anger and hatred is not the right way to go.

Jesus in his "Sermon on the Mount" spoke on this situation, in Matthew 5:43-47. _"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?"_

Love those who do wrong to you. That doesn't sound very easy, but it's the right thing. Even if we don't agree or don't look or live the same, we should still love and treat others as equals.


	28. Chapter 27: Tech Town part 1

**Ok, those of you who follow me on Deviantart, got a small teaser for a piece of this chapter, but it's more for the next chapter. **

**I planned to make this one chapter, but it's too much fun to give cliffhangers.**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Tech Town and my OCs (c) to me!**

**Luna (c) to Nintendoman01!**

* * *

**Chapter 27: Tech Town**

* * *

Ryô nearly vibrated with excitement. "I'm going home! I'm going home! I can't wait to see my grandparents!"

"Chill pal."

"I haven't seen my grandparents in years." The blond boy smiled.

Patria yawned. "I'm just glad we're going to have royal guards for backup, just like in Radiant Garden."

The cockpit door opened and the oldest girl stepped out. "We're here. Ry, you take the lead."

"Got it!"

* * *

"Grandpa will throw us a banquet! There will be meats, pies, ices, and…"

Brimstone clamped his hand over his best friend's mouth. "You're making me hungry, so shut up."

The blond nodded and continued to lead the way.

Tech Town reminded Glacies of Hazy Hamlet, slightly. The granite-walled buildings rose up on each side, with dew dripping off their slanted, wooden roof. One building, made entirely of white marble, stood in the center of the town; that must have been the palace. However, a cloud of despair seemed to hang over this world.

Ryô turned a corner and stopped. The joy and excitement melted instantly. At the palace gates, a crowd stood.

"Ry, what's wrong?"

"That's not right… not right at all." Ryô turned and they could see the confusion in his eyes. "Look at the crowd… they're all human, and they're protesting. That's not right…" He instantly turned back, running into the crowd.

"RYÔ!" The others followed.

Glacies stood back and watched the crowd. All the humans standing at the gate, with a few elves mixed in. The castle guards, who all were elves, held their spears pointed at the people. She listened as the people yelled out.

"We're not your slaves!"

"Humans should not be treated as animals!"

The Keyblade Master blinked. "I thought it was the elves who were slightly looked down upon…" While she didn't agree with the fact that the elven people were treated as lesser beings, this seemed backwards. Now the humans were being oppressed.

Ryô pushed through the mob of people until he stood facing one of the palace guards. "Excuse me…"

"What do you want, human scum!?"

"I-I need to get into the palace." He'd expected to be welcomed with trumpets, but being called scum… "It's urgent."

"Humans are not allowed inside the palace."

"B-but the king and queen are human!"

The guard's eyes narrowed. "Where have you been the last five years? Humans were forced from the throne."

"Five years ago?" When the worlds were sealed off… "What happened to the king and queen?"

"Dead."

Ryô's eyes went from sorrow to anger in an instant. "You lie! Let me in! I am Ryô Caeleum! My grandparents are the king and queen!"

"ARREST HIM!" The effect was immediate. The guard swung his spear, hoping to wound the blond boy.

A sword blocked the spear as Patria jumped between it and her fellow Keybearer. "Ry, move!"

All the guards closed in on the boy, ready to grab or attack. The mob drew back, leaving, Ryô in the open. All the Keybearers ran forward, ready to defend their friend.

"What happened to our backup, Ry?" Yuyake asked, as he blocked a spear.

"I-I don't…" Everyone froze a smoke swiftly rose up around them.

The blond froze as a familiar, soft voice spoke in his ear. "Come with me, my prince." A delicate hand took his own and pulled him away.

When the smoke cleared, all the Keybearers were gone…

* * *

"Tria, calm down!"

"I just got kidnapped by someone in a hood, don't tell me to calm down!"

The girl holding Ryô's hand, giggled. "I know we may seem bad, but we're only here to help." The girl removed her hood to reveal that she was of elven kind. Her skin was a light yellow and white hair fell down her back.

"LUNA!" Ry gasped and tackled her in a hug.

"Hello, my prince!" she hugged him back. "I've missed you too…"

Justin looked around as all the hooded figures, who brought them into this dark tunnel, took off their hoods. Most were elves, but two were humans. "What's going on?"

"We're part of the resistance. One of our scouts saw the light from your ship; we knew you'd be in trouble, so we came to help."

Ryo looked at the yellow elf. "My grandparents, are they…"

"Alive and well," she smiled. "We faked their deaths when the palace came under attack."

"HOLD ON!" Patria yelled. "What is going on!? Sit down and tell us everything!"

Luna sighed. "We'll tell you when we get to our headquarters." She motioned for them to follow. "Come on."

The group followed her down the tunnel. Blaze took her best friend's hand. "Ry, I'm sorry…"

"It's alright. My grandparents are alive, and that's what matters." His eyes glimmered with a new hope.

The tunnel soon widened into a large cavern, with many smaller caverns; these smaller caverns went into small rooms. In the middle of the large one, stood a man and woman.

Their white hair, still held streaks of blond. Their clothes must have been beautiful one day, but were now torn and dirty. Ryô bolted towards them. "GRANDMA! GRANDPA!"

"Ry…!?" the old man turned around and his blue eyes brightened as he hugged his grandson. His wife turned and hugged the boy as well. He looked up at the yellow elf. "Thank you Luna."

"My pleasure King Solomon." She bowed to him.

The former king motioned for the other Keybearers to approach. "Hello, it is good to see more friendly people once again."

"Hello your Majesty," Glacies bowed. After introductions, the young master looked at the king. "What is going on here? Why are humans being treated horribly and why was were the guards trying to kill Ryô?"

Solomon looked at his queen before sitting down. "It is a long tale. Please sit, we will tell you all…"

The all sat before Queen Victoria began speaking. "Five years ago, the day after there was that loud crack, and the sky became covered in a shield. After that day, we could not contact Ventus, even by magic, and he never came… But, the day after, our castle came under attack from a woman named Tene Bris."

"One woman?"

"She's not just a normal woman. She is a Venefilba, the last one of her kind."

Their grandson cocked his head, slightly. "I remember learning about the Venefilba when I went to school here. Weren't they a barbaric race of elf, who tried to destroy all humans and other elves?"

"Yes," the king nodded. "During the war against their kind, they were wiped out, but only because their kind were so prideful, that rather than surrender or even allow us to treat their wounded, they would kill themselves. Soon, there was only one left: Tene Bris. She retreated up to the caverns above the city and placed such spells, so that we could not enter and attack her."

"We nearly forgot she was there, until she attacked." Victoria sighed. "She got into the castle and nearly killed us. Luna helped us escape, but Tene took over the kingdom, condemning all humans as slaves."

Patria grinned, summoning her sword. "Then, we'll just have to take her out."

"You can try, but now she's even more dangerous." Luna fingered her sword. "One, she's a powerful witch. And two, now she has her children with her."

"Children!?"

Luna nodded. "Tene is the last of her kind, but she has two half-breed children. Half human and half Venefilba."

"So", Hikari sighed, "who are these children, and what do they and their mother look like?"

"Their mother has human-like skin, long ears, red and black eyes, and white hair. Her children are twins, a girl and a boy; they look more human, but they both have white hair that covers one eye, and the eyes that's showing is red."

Pith gasped. "Xext and Angel!?"

"You know them?"

"Yes… they've been trying to kill us." Yuyake huffed.

Patria stood up, grinning wildly. "We can take care of those two easy; and we've got a mage on our side. So, Glace, you could take Tene with some backup."

"Tria, it's not going to be that easy…"

"But, I know some backup you could get. And you could also get some information too…"

Ryô's eyes lit up. "Where, Luna?"

The elf smiled. "The dungeon. I have worked as a spy in the castle lately, and I know that Angel will help us… yes, I am speaking of Tene's daughter. The girl is a powerful fighter, but she's actually very kind."

"That 'kind' girl just tried to murder me yesterday!"

"Patria, calm down."

"I know that it may seem hard to believe," Luna frowned, "but I've seen her. She doesn't like to fight. But, her mother has an ally, some boy with powerful magic. Whenever they want Angel to fight he casts a spell on her, something that sounds like 'Imperio'."

Xally narrowed her eyes. "Cander… he used that spell on me."

"So the 'Angel of Death' is just a girl under a spell…"

"Yes, and because she doesn't want to help them, her own mother keeps her locked in the dungeon. But I know a way into the castle, through the dungeons; Angel will help us if we promise her freedom, and I think that's a promise we can keep to her."

Glacies looked around before nodding. "It's a great plan, Luna. I approve. We'll need to prepare, and then we can get to the castle. We may have come here for one reason, but we can't leave your world in this state. And if we can get Angel on our side, it would be a loss to our enemy and a gain to our side."

"I'll be waiting by the large tunnel to the south, when you're ready." The yellow elf straightened up and strode away.

* * *

"Luna…"

"Hello, my prince," Luna smiled at the young blond boy.

He sat down beside her. "The others are still getting ready but, I saw Lyla."

"Lyla…" her face fell. "I haven't seen her since King Solomon dismissed her."

"She joined an assassin group, the same one that Xext, Angel, and Cander are in." He saw his friend's eye's widen. "She's already tried to kill me. I-I just remember you and her being my private guards, ever since I was little. And now she's trying to kill me."

Tears sprung into the elf's eyes. "I-I can't believe it… I've been so worried; I thought she'd just gone into hiding. I've been searching for her. I never thought she'd fall that far." She let out a long sigh. "When this is over, I'm going to find her. She's my best friend and I will find her and I will bring her back here."

"Great…!"

Glacies and the others approached the two old friends. "Let's go…"

"Of course," Luna nodded. "Follow me." She turned, unstrapping the katana from her back.

* * *

The tunnel smelled of mold and garbage, and it got smaller as they continued on. By the time Luna turned around and began opening a trap door, above them, the roof was so low all of them were on their knees.

The elf pushed the trapdoor open and peeked up. "All clear." She jumped up and began pulling each of them out of the hole.

"So, where's the girl?" Patria huffed.

As if to answer, a quiet and frightened voice spoke. "H-hello…? Is anyone there…?"

"Hold on!" Pith jogged down the row of cells before he saw the girl. Angel stood, holding the bars, a look of hope in her red eye. "Hey, Angel right?"

"Yes… and you're Pith."

The boy smiled, sweetly. "Yeah, now let's get you out of there." He summoned his Keyblade and opened the cage door.

The girl timidly stepped out, clutching a small object, wrapped in cloth. "Thank you… I didn't think I'd ever be let our except to hurt people."

"Angel," Glacies smiled. "Do you know why we're here?"

"I guess to take the throne from my mother."

Patria smirked. "Smart… and these guys want to know if you'll help us. I trust you as far as I can throw you, but they think you'll help us."

The girl shyly looked down, and twirled her hair nervously. "I-I don't blame you for not trusting me. But, Cander's spell is what made me attack you; I hate hurting people."

"Don't worry, Angel." Hikari smiled. "Help us beat your mom and you'll go free, to live a good life of peace."

The assassin's mouth broke into a wide grin, but it fell quickly. "I thank you, but I do not think you will want me around at all."

"Why not…?"

Angel looked down. "My father… If you know who he is, then you'll know how powerful my twin and I are. And you won't want me around…"

The entire group looked between one another, curious and nervously. Glacies bent down to look the girl in the eye. "Who is your father and why would you think that?"

"Here…" she took the cloth off the object in her hand, revealing a small orb. "My father made this for Xext and I, so we could know who he was. Xext didn't want to keep it, but I hold onto it, just so I can be reminded of who he is and that I don't want to be like him."

The young Keyblade master moved to ask her what she meant, but the girl dropped the orb into her hand and turned away. The orb lit up and from it came a swirling magical mirror. It showed the watcher's reflection for a moment before fading to another face…

The face had to be no more than 18, with tanned skin and silver hair which spiked upwards. And the eyes, were a bright, sharp gold. Each of the Keybearer's faces melted into shock, anger, and fear.

Patria turned on Angel, making the girl flinch at her glare. "Your father is Xehanort!?"

"Y-yes…"

* * *

**Well… I don't think that was expected…**

**If you're confused about timelines and how this all happened, wait for the next chapter.**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Family**

There is a lot in this chapter about family: Ryô's grandparents and now Angel's family.

Family is something mentioned throughout the Bible. One of the Ten Commandments is about family: Honor your father and mother.

One sometimes doesn't like their family, but you really can't choose them. But specifically with parents, we're told to honor them and to obey them.

Why should we obey them? They don't have control over us…

Well, there's two verses that give one reason, other than some of us will get punished for not obeying.

Ephesians 6:1-3 states, _"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother'-which is the first commandment with a promise- 'so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.'"_

I think that right there, says it all.

Parents aren't perfect, and neither are families, but that does not mean that you shouldn't obey or respect them.


	29. Chapter 28: Tech Town part 2

**Alright you guys! Here it is!**

**We have one more world left! **

**I can't believe this story is coming to a close.**

**And don't forget to check out my rewrite of the KH3 story and the stories that led up to it!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

* * *

**Chapter 28: Tech Town part 2**

* * *

Angel scrunched up against the wall. Pith came over to her. "I'm sorry about her…"

"HOW CAN YOU TALK TO KINDLY TO HER!?" Glacies and Brim held Patria back. The red head was ready to tear the white-haired girl apart.

Glacies stepped between Patria and Angel. "Patria, let's hear her out…" The red-head stopped struggling, and seemed to calm down, if only a little. Glacies gave a deep sigh of relief before turning to Angel. "Now, why don't you explain everything?"

"O-of course…" the girl nodded, taking a moment to brush the hair from over her covered eye, revealing it to be golden colored. "Mother always wanted us to be proud of our heritage, so she told us who our father was. As for how we are your age, and Xehanort has not been around for over twenty years… it is because my mother is a Venefilba. Their kind, after becoming pregnant, take seven years, before giving birth."

"That's weird…" Brimstone cocked his head.

"So, how did you and your twin come to be?"

Brim laughed. "Oh come on, do we have to explain, Yake? When a mommy and daddy love each other…"

"SHUT UP BRIM!"

"Sorry…"

Angel gave a small smile at the antics, but seemed to understand what was meant. "You mean, how my mother and father came to have my brother and I. Well, according to my mother…"

* * *

_Tene Bris looked up to the entrance of her cavern home. A single figure, dressed in a black coat, stood in the entryway. She could see the young man's handsome face from where she stood._

_He held out a hand to her, in a kind greeting. His mouth turned up in a gentle smirk. "Hello, my lady."_

_The elf woman smirked, "It is my pleasure. Not many humans come to see me. They are too frightened of me." She matched his smirk. "I am Tene Bris. And who might you be?"_

_"Xehanort."_

_"A curious name… so what brings you here, Xehanort?"_

_His golden eyes glinted. "I have a proposition for you… one I think you'll like."_

_"I'm listening…"_

_Xehanort sat down on a nearby rock. "I am momentarily in a war, and I fear, if I should fail, then my ancient bloodline will die. I know, you as well, have a bloodline in need of renewal, being the last of your kind. I propose the two of us… work together to solve both our problems."_

_"I don't normally entertain any of your race," the elf chuckled, "but the darkness around you intrigues me. I should like to know more about you, before I agree to your proposition. Now, tell me all about yourself…"_

* * *

"And we know what happened then…"

Angel nodded. "It is fairly obvious that she accepted. After hearing his story, she told us she felt honored that he had picked her and, to this day, she feels honored to have born his children. As, my brother and I are merely a continuation of the bloodlines, and nothing more."

"To her, maybe," Pith sat beside her. "But you seem so sweet and kind. Now, please, can you help us. We have to take your mother off the throne, and find the keyhole."

"I know where the keyhole is… Mother guards it because it's in the castle throne room."

Luna smiled. "Angel, can you take us there? And, will you help us defeat your mother?"

The girl seemed frightened for a moment but nodded. "I want to help! W-will I be granted freedom if I help?"

"Of course."

Glacies nodded. "Come along then. How do we get into the throne room from here?"

"I'll take you." Angel stood up and quickly marched to the dungeon door.

Patria growled. "I don't like this, and I don't like her…"

"Why? Because she's the daughter of a madman, though she's absolutely nothing like him?" Blaze grumbled as she followed. Patria too, followed, but in the back of the group, annoyed and angry.

They snuck through the castle, following the girl in white. "Please, understand, my mother is very powerful. You will have a hard time defeating her, but I can help. My magic is strong."

"We're glad to have you on our side then," Glacies nodded.

The girl led them through passage after passage, until they came to a large set of birch wood doors, inlaid with gold and silver. Patria pushed past the others. "Now, I can finally do my thing…"

"Patria, wait!"

The girl didn't listen; she immediately kicked the doors in and stormed inside. Standing at the end of the room, was Xext and a woman. The woman had pale, human-like skin, long ears, white hair, and black and red eyes. She turned around and looked at Patria and the others. "Ah, there you are. I've been wondering when you would show up. And Angel. I knew you'd betray us…"

"Mother," Xext glared at his sister. "May I have the pleasure of killing Angel?"

"No. Go and get Cander. She is still of use." The boy nodded and left through a corridor.

Glacies turned to Angel. "Let's go!" The girl nodded, summoned her wings, spreading them wide.

"Move it, whitey!" Patria charged forward.

"SIS WAIT!" The girl didn't seem to hear him as she rushed the elf witch. Tene laughed as Patria rushed forward. Once the girl got within arm's reach, the witch unleashed a wave of energy and sent the red-head flying into the nearest wall. The girl lay motionless against the stone walls.

"Welp, she's going to be mad when she wakes up…"

Suddenly, Angel shot past them, towards her mother. She sliced, with her wings, Tene only dodging by teleporting around the room. Glacies leapt into the fray, with the others following.

Tene's power was enough to hold them all back. As one particular blast sent Ryô and Blaze hurtling backwards, against the back wall. "I hate this! She's hard."

"I know, but at least Angel is helping." They ran back into the fight.

Angel looked back at Glacies. "I think we can beat her."

"We're losing, Angel…"

"No, we're not," the girl shook her head. "She's weakening. I can feel her power lessening. Just keep pu…" The girl straightened up and fell to the ground. Behind her stood Cander, his wand pointed at the girl.

"ANGEL!"

Cander rolled his shoulder. "Good, she's back on our side." He turned his eyes to Tene. "Should I have her attack?"

"No, I can handle these pests, on my own."

Cander nodded before he waved his wand; the wizard and Angel vanished in a swirl of color. Pith rushed to Angel as this happened, but got there too late. "No…" He rounded on the witch. "Why!? She's your own child!"

"She's a traitor and a disgrace."

Hikari clenched her fists. "You're a horrible woman!"

"That is your opinion," Tene suddenly seemed interested in her fingernails. "Now, enough of these games. Without my daughter on your side, you're done." She held up her hand, and a bright ball of energy appeared. With a flick of her wrist the energy shot out, knocking the entire group to the ground. She laughed, "I hope you like the dungeon."

Luna looked up from the ground. "We will stop you!"

"I doubt th…" Tene's eyes widened and she coughed. Suddenly the point of a metal object protruded from her chest. Patria poked her head out from behind Tene, grinning like the Cheshire Cat from her parent's stories. "Goodbye, witch." With a jerk, the metal object came out of Tene Bris' body.

The witch crumpled to the ground. The others saw Patria looking down at the fallen woman. "Finally. I was getting tired of her."

"P-Patria… you just killed her."

"I know," the girl grinned. She tore off a piece of Tene's dress and began cleaning the shimmering red, elf blood off the tip of her Keyblade. "She had to go down. And she never saw me coming. Oh, and you're welcome."

"We're not going to thank you for murder!"

"Murder?" Patria cocked her head. "She was about to kill all of you. I was just defending you. Whatever… now this world is free; Ry, Your grandparents can have the throne back."

Luna stood up, sighing. "She's correct, though. I'll go inform the populous about Tene Bris' death." She turned and walked out of the throne room.

"I'm happy this is over, and that my plan worked!" Patria grinned.

"Plan?"

"Get myself taken out of the fight at the beginning and then sneak around and finish the job."

Her twin grit his teeth. "And what about Angel!? You could've stopped Cander, but you didn't! She helped us and you had the best chance of saving her!"

"That girl was a problem. She would've turned on us at any moment, and you know it. With her gone, Tene put her guard down. Look, sorry my plans didn't match up with what you guys though was best, but Angel had to be sacrificed to make sure that witch was taken down."

Everyone stared at her in shock and disgust. "That's a horrible excuse!"

"Who cares…" Patria sat down on the steps that led up to the thrones, continuing to clean her Keyblade.

The others just stared at her. They couldn't believe that the girl didn't care. Pith went over and sat beside her. "I understand, kind of. It's your, you know…"

"Hush!" she whispered. "My darkness is supposed to be a secret, you oaf! And, no. I just thought of a good plan, and no one else likes it."

"You abandoned a girl to get taken and brainwashed. I'd hoped that we could help her."

"Why didn't you save her then!?" Patria snarled.

"I tried to. We were all locked in combat, and I did try to reach her in time… but you still had the best chance of saving her."

The girl leaned back with a sigh. "If we had a chance to save her once, we'll get one again. I still don't like her though."

Pith shook his head. "You're so stubborn…"

"I know."

* * *

By the time Solomon and Victoria returned to the castle, Glacies had already extracted the lock piece from the keyhole.

"Thank you for retaking the castle, but I wish we could've tried Tene in court." The king looked down at the witch's corpse.

Patria rolled her eyes. "Nobody liked my plan still… and no gratitude either."

"We were glad to help sir," the oldest of their group bowed. "Are you certain you can handle the kingdom now?"

Victoria nodded. "The people, especially the elves, were only frightened of Tene to refuse her rule and wishes. There will be more hostility between humans and elves now, but I'm certain we can diffuse it over time."

"Grandma," Ryô hugged her. "I'll bring Mom and Dad here when we find them. And we'll help you set everything to right again."

"Very good, my boy." She kissed his forehead. "We will look forward to your return."

Solomon hugged his grandson. "Take care."

After giving his family one last embrace, Ryô rejoined his friends as they returned to the gummi ship.

* * *

Glacies paced around the ship. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep doing that." Blaze chuckled.

"Sorry, I just can't get what Patria did, out of my head." The Keyblade Master sat down. "I mean, she had a great strategy, and it worked… but she killed Tene. She could've knocked her out or…"

"It is Patria… and she did have a point. She killed Tene when Tene was going to kill us. She saved our lives."

" I know…" Glacies bit her lip. "We should thank her for that." Her eyes moved to a window and watched the stars go by. "I'll talk to her later, but right now… I'm worried."

"About what?"

"Tech Town changed so much in those five years… I wonder if the same happened to Hazy Hamlet. When we get there, will everything my parents worked for be gone? That world was an appalling dump heap to begin with, but imagine if it got worse…"

Blaze nodded. "I heard about your parent's homeworld… the caste system and slavery…"

"Yeah…" Glacies clenched her fists. "I can only hope nothing went wrong in those five years…"

* * *

Sora's eyes fluttered open and he gasped. He found himself sitting in the white, round room, where the Organization met, sitting in one of the chairs.

"W-what is going on!?"

"Hello, Sora…"

The man looked up to see Xehanort sitting in the tallest chair, smirking down at him. "N-no way…! You can't be here! I defeated you!"

"And yet still I have returned." The old man chuckled. "Now, I will do what you did to me. I will take everything from you. Your wife, your children, the worlds…"

"I'll stop you! I did it once and I can do it again!"

Xehanort chuckled. "You do not know, but I have already won. This is all a dream, from which you will never wake. I will show you the fate of your family, over and over until the day you die."

"Why you…!" The air in front of him opened like a dark corridor, and Sora could see himself, Kairi, Riku, and all the other guardians. All of them slept, in these pods, each person bearing a face of pain and agony. "What have you done!?" He looked around but couldn't see Xehanort anywhere. "XEHANORT!" He tried to stand but couldn't.

The image in front of him changed. He saw his daughter surrounded by darkness, his son in chains, suffering, and Kairi dead at his feet. These images played, over and over until Sora couldn't stand it any longer, and he let out a cry of despair.

* * *

**That's a good way to end the chapter…**

**Ok, not really, but yeah…**

**Please Review!**

**And MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

* * *

** Father Christmas**

The Christmas season is upon us! Presents, family, and celebrating! But, as it is said every year, Jesus is the reason for the season.

I know the origins of Christmas, and that The celebration of Jesus' birth was just put on this day. But that does not make it any less of a celebration for him.

Now, in this season, people celebrate the fact that God sent his son down to earth, in order to die for the sins of mankind.

We are His children and he gave us his son in heaven, as a gift. 1 John 3:1 says, "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God…"

God is a good father, who loves his children unconditionally. That is why he sent his son to earth. He wanted all of us to have a chance to be with him. His gift was the greatest of all: a chance for us to be with him forever.

So, Merry Christmas!

And, in the words of Tiny Tim: "God bless us, everyone!"


	30. Chapter 29: Hazy Hamlet part 1

**Hi guys. **

**Happy New Year!**

**I told one of you guys that this world has at least 3 plot twists in it… this chapter contains 2.**

**The chapter is short, but I wanted to leave you guys on a cliffhanger.**

**Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

* * *

**Chapter 29**

* * *

Glacies sat the helm, watching until Hazy Hamlet came into view. The others waited patiently for her. As she came into the common room, she looked up at them. "Guys, before we land, I'm going to give you some instructions. And everyone needs to follow them!" She glared directly at Patria. "If this world hasn't changed, then all of you are in danger. Slavers could run rampant and they'll take anyone they can get their hands on. So, stay in groups of two or three, if we split up. When we get down there, follow me to my family's can stay there and get our bearings. Understood?"

They all nodded. Yuyake stood up. "Let's get down there, and Glacies, you lead."

She nodded as they all headed to go down.

* * *

"This place doesn't look much different…" Glacies mused sadly. She motioned for the others to follow here. They went through the streets, keeping close together.

Patria looked around, annoyed. "So, how far is this home of yours?"

"Not…" she paused, "far…"

"What is it?"

She pointed and they saw a woman shooing small blue creatures out of her home, with a broom. Ryô cocked his head. "Those are Flood Unversed…"

The woman shooed them out. "Get out of here you annoying red-eyes."

"I guess, with Vanitas living here, they've become a part of the wildlife." Ryô shrugged.

"Yeah, guess so…"

They continued walking, with Glacies looking every which way. As they came around a corner, she stopped. "N-no…"

"What is it?" The others came and saw what she did.

Two houses down stood a ruin. What must have been a great house, was now a pile of ashes and blackened wood. Glacies ran to the ruin and stood there, hands covering her mouth in shock.

"Glacies?"

A young man with dirty-blonde hair came out of the house next door. The girl turned her eyes on him, and it took a moment before she gasped. "Anthony!" The two embraced.

"Who the heck is that?"

The young Keyblade master turned to her friends and smiled slightly. "Guys, this is my cousin." She looks back at her cousin. "Anthony, what happened? Where's everyone? What happened to the house?"

"Glacies, I-I am so sorry… you all should come inside."

Glacies' face fell. She'd hoped to find things all in order, but it looked like that wouldn't happen. They followed Anthony inside where he sat them all down. "First, where have you been all this time!?"

"The worlds closed off and we couldn't do anything. Sorry…" Glacies looked down.

"No, I'm sorry…" her cousin sat beside them. "You really don't know what happened?" They all shook their heads. "Well, a rebellion succeeded, but not ours."

"There was another rebellion?"

"Well, actually, a coup…"

Glacies sighed. "But what happened to our family?"

"Glace, everyone but my mother is dead…"

Justin and Xally gasped, covering their mouth. The little girl covered her mouth. "Grandpa, Grandma, Me-ma, and Uncle Henry are gone…"

"I'm sorry… they were all branded as traitors and executed." Anthony clenched his fists as tears began to roll down his face. "My mother and I are both being watched by guards."

Everyone jumped as Glacies slammed her fist down on the coffee table; everyone could see the anger and pain in her eyes as she began to sob. "W-who did this…!? Did the old or new rulers do this!?"

"Glacies…"

Her cousin opened his mouth to respond, when a scream came from outside. Everyone except for Glacies, Justin, Xally, and Anthony ran outside. They could see the town square full of Heartless, but the Unversed were there too, killing the Heartless. "At least we have help."

As they fought, eventually Glacies and the others came out. Ryô suddenly saw a group of large Heartless destroy some Unversed and start chasing a little girl. The girl screamed and ran.

"I'm coming!" The blond boy rushed after her, taking down the Heartless. The child looked up at him and smiled. Ryô nearly leapt out of his skin. The little girl's eyes were a deep gold, just like Vanitas'.

"Thank you, sir." She gave a curtsy right before a little Flood came running up, and jumped onto her shoulder. "Oh there you are…"

"Nettie! Come here!" Ryô and the girl looked up and saw a woman with pale blue hair.

"Mama!"

The woman stormed over and grabbed her daughter's arm. "I told you not to go off alone. Come along…" she smiled up at the keybearer and pulled her daughter down and away from the fighting.

"Ry!" Blaze came over. "The Heartless are gone, but Glacies is about to go on a rampage."

They headed back to the square where Patria, of all people, was holding Glacies back. The red-head laughed sheepishly. "Well, this is a definition of irony if I ever saw it."

"Glacies calm down."

Justin clenched his fists. "Our family is dead. Don't tell her to calm down!"

"We know, Justin," Pith laid a hand on his shoulder. "But we have to help around here, not go after revenge."

"Oh, I don't know…"

"Patria, shut up."

Glacies was about to speak when a group of soldiers began pouring out of the alleyways. The keybearers tensed and Glacies seemed ready to murder each and every one of the guards.

A man golden armor strode up to them and bowed. "I am Commander Krumm. It is an honor to meet warriors of the Keyblade."

"Uh… ok…" Yuyake scratched his head.

Hikari clung to his arm. "What do you want with us?"

"I want nothing, but the princess wishes to see all of you." Krumm bowed. "Please, follow me." He pivoted and strode away.

"I am not following him…"

"Glacies, did Anthony tell you if it was the old or new government that had your grandparents killed?" She shook her head. "Well, now we can find out. Come on…"

The older girl gave a small nod and walked after the soldiers, with the others following. The walk was silent, until Pith tripped over a loose stone. Brim caught him. "Watch it Pith."

"And don't forget this."

Pith saw that the picture of him and Briana had fallen out of his pocket when he tripped. He smiled, taking it back from Brimstone. "Thanks."

Silence reigned once more as they approached a building that looked more like a large wooden house instead of a castle. The guards held the doors open and the group walked through, into a large room, carpeted in red. Three thrones sat on a dais at the end of the room. In one sat a girl.

At the sight of the girl, Brim's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Yowza!" But, in the back of his mind, he knew that he'd seen her once before.

The girl stood up. She wore a long, sleeveless, low-cut, red and black dress. Her brown hair hung in a braid over her left shoulder. She turned and gave them a dazzling smile, before gasping. "I-it can't be…"

"No way!"

Pith slowly walked towards the dais, and the princess came down towards him. His lip quivered and he reached out for her. "B-Briana… is that you…?"

"It's me, Pith…" she took his hand. They stood there for a moment before the girl moved towards him, putting her hands on Pith's cheeks, as she kissed him.

"WAIT! T-the princess is Pith's old love!?"

* * *

**Well…**

**I'm just going to… leave this here.**

**Please Review!**

* * *

**Thy Will**

Everyone has those things in life that happen, and you just ask "why".

Three days into the new year, and I'm already looking up at God, and asking him that.

Yesterday, I found out that my grandfather has terminal cancer.

I spent last night sobbing in bed, and begging God to perform a miracle. God spoke to me and told me to go listen to a song: my favorite worship song.

This song is called "Thy Will" and He told me that I love to sing this song, but now I would have to mean it.

These are the lyrics, read them and you'll understand:

_I'm so confused I know I heard you loud and clear _

_So, I followed through _

_Somehow I ended up here _

_I don't wanna think _

_I may never understand _

_That my broken heart is a part of your plan _

_When I try to pray _

_All I got is hurt and these four words _

_Thy will be done _

_Thy will be done _

_Thy will be done _

_I know you're good _

_But this don't feel good right now _

_And I know you think _

_Of things I could never think about _

_It's hard to count it all joy _

_Distracted by the noise _

_Just trying to make sense Of all your promises _

_Sometimes I gotta stop R_

_emember that you're God _

_And I am not _

_So _

_Thy will be done _

_Thy will be done _

_Thy will be done _

_Like a child on my knees all that comes to me is _

_Thy will be done _

_Thy will be done _

_Thy will _

_I know you see me _

_I know you hear me, Lord _

_Your plans are for me _

_Goodness you have in store _

_I know you hear me _

_I know you see me, Lord _

_Your plans are for me _

_Goodness you have in store _

_So _

_Thy will be done _

_Thy will be done _

_Thy will be done _

_Like a child on my knees _

_All that comes to me is _

_Thy will be done _

_Thy will be done _

_Thy will be done _

_I know you see me _

_ I know you hear me, Lord _

God holds everything in his hands. Nothing surprises him. All we can do is trust him, that everything will turn out for good, just as he promised. Romans 8:28 says, "_And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose_".

Whether He heals my grandfather or not, I know He has a plan to work all of this for good, in some way. I may not know what it is, but He has turned things around for people since the beginning of time, so I am holding fast and trusting in His will, above all else.


	31. Chapter 30: Hazy Hamlet part 2

**Hi everyone!**

**Guess what, it's my birthday!**

**Yep!**

**And, I've seen 2.8 all the way through… OMP, it is great! Buy it or watch it on YouTube!**

**Ok, and I'm about to start rewriting my KH3 story. When I do so, I'm going to work on creating my own personal website, and I already have an official Facebook and Twitter.**

**Please go follow them!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

* * *

**Chapter 30**

* * *

"No way…"

Pith looked Briana up and down. "Wh-What!? What is going on!?"

"Oh Pith!" She hugged him. "It's been so long."

"Briana, h-how… when… what the heck are you doing here!?"

She paused for a second, before giving a warm grin. "It's a long story. I'll explain later." Her eyes drifted over the rest of the group. "Actually, at supper tonight, I'll explain everything to everyone." Briana came down the dais and held out her arms in a welcoming manner. "Hello everyone! I am Briana, Princess of Hazy Hamlet! You are most welcome here. I will have servants prepare quarters for all of you. And you shall dine with me tonight. I will explain everything and answer any questions you have then."

"Thanks Bri," Patria smiled, happy to see her old friend.

"Now then," the princess clapped her hands. A group of servants came into the room. "Have rooms prepared for our guests. Have baths drawn and their clothes washed."

"Yes, Milady." They all bowed and began herding everyone out of the room, all except for Pith.

"Pith… I would like to escort you to your room." Briana blushed.

"I would like that, Briana." Hand-in-hand, the two left the room.

* * *

"This is awesome!"

Patria laid back on a fluffy bed. "I never would've guessed that Briana was a princess here."

"I don't like it." Glacies sat on the bed, arms crossed, and a very perturbed look on her face.

"Look, I'm usually the one with trust issues, but listen Glacies. Briana is one of the sweetest people ever. There is no way she had anything to do with your grandparent's death." Glacies gave her a glare. "Hey, you may not trust me, but trust Pith."

"Fine…"

* * *

Pith walked into a large room, where Brim sat, arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "So, greeny, how's it feel to see your girl again?"

"Wonderful, and confusing." He sat down. "I never thought I'd find her here, of all places. But, I am glad to see her, and to get some answers from her."

"Guess we'll have to wait for supper, in order to do that."

"Yep… can't wait!"

* * *

The group, dressed in fresh, royal clothing, sat around a long table. Briana came in, dressed in a beautiful, loose-fitting robe. "Hello, everyone, I hope you have all settled in."

"We have."

"Wonderful," she sat down. "I hope you find your accommodations to your liking." They all nodded. "Great! If you need anything, anything at all, just tell one of the servants. I ordered them to obey you, just as they would me."

Blaze smiled. "You're very kind. Thanks for everything."

The princess grinned, flashing her white teeth, behind her red lips. "Of course! You are most welcome." She clapped her hands and servants began to bring out the feast.

Soon, a roast hare, vegetables, a goblet of blackberry cordial, and a strawberry ice lay before everyone. Everyone quickly dug in. As their appetites began to slow, Briana wiped her mouth. "Now then, you are all fed and calm. I am ready to answer any and all questions you may have, about anything."

"I'll start," Pith, who sat beside her, laid his hand on her's. "Explain everything. Why were you on the islands? Why didn't you tell me who you really were?"

"I wanted to, Pith, I really did… but Father and Mother forbid me to."

"I thought your dad was dead…"

She shook her head. "No… some rebels were trying to murder my family, so my mother and I were sent to a different world. I was not allowed to say where I was from or who my father was. And, as for how we reached your world, my mother is a mage."

"Ms. Holly did that…"

"Of course!" she giggled. "My father is known as Omver, which means overthrower. He and my mother overthrew the horrible old rule and took over."

Glacies narrowed her eyes. "Question… was it your father who had some of the rebels, against the old kind, killed?"

"Oh no!" Briana shook her head vigorously. "My father was one of them. He took over after a large group of them were executed. However, he does keep the houses of the old rebels watched, as a precautionary measure."

"My grandparents were executed."

The princess frowned. "I am so sorry, but know their executors have paid for their actions."

"Thank you…"

Briana looked back at Pith. "And I am sorry I left without saying anything to you… I wanted to tell you, but Mother said no." She took his hand. "Not a day goes by when I don't think of you. I wanted to come back many times, but my duties here got in the way." Pith could see remorseful tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don't cry. Please…" He wiped her eyes. "I have never forgotten you either. I always wished to see you again." He kissed her hand; they both smiled.

Patria smiled as well. She'd missed Briana too, and Pith had been sad since she disappeared. He'd hidden it well, but as his twin, she knew how he truly felt.

The princess shook her head and stood up. "Sorry about that. Now, if there are no more questions, you are all allowed to explore the castle, no door is locked for you. And you may retire at any time, at all."

"One sec!" Hikari stuck her hand into the air. "Where are your parents? Why haven't we seen them?"

Briana gave her a soft smile. "Well, my father had to visit some of the counts, yarls, thanes, and knights who live far away. Mother went with him and they left me to rule in their place."

"Thank you."

As they all finished their meals, each of the group left to explore the castle. Only Pith stayed; he held Briana's hand. "I'm really happy… happier than I've been in five years."

"Really?" She turned to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I did not want you to hold on to me and suffer."

"But I found you again." He leaned in and kissed her.

She giggled. "Yes, you did." She pulled back from him. "Come…" She led him through the castle, to a small garden, with a small fountain in the middle. Here, they sat among the flowers, Briana leaning her head on Pith. And Pith, for the first time since she'd vanished, felt completely content.

* * *

**Yes, this is a filler chapter. Yes, it's short. But it's cute.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Another Year**

Today, I am another year older, and another year towards being an adult. It won't be long before I graduate college, get a job, a home, and hopefully a family of my own.

However. I know that troubles will come in the days ahead. I already think about them. How will I find a job? How will I pay bills? How do I pay off college? Will I ever find my special someone?

Everyone thinks ahead and worries about what is to come, but I do not worry about it. I know that God will provide.

Jesus said so in Matthew 6:25-33. "_Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you._"

I do not worry, because I know the Lord will provide. And I look forward to the plans he has in store for me!


	32. Chapter 31: Hazy Hamlet part 3

**Hi guys!**  
**Well, I have begun rewriting my KH3 story. If you liked the original story, you should go and read the new one. **

**IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 13, THERE IS SENSATIVE MATERIAL INVOLVED, PLEASE BE ADVISED!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix**  
**OCs and Hazy Hamlet (c) to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 31**

* * *

"This place is awesome!" Hikari ran around the courtyard, followed by Yuyake.  
The boy smiled. "It is nice…" He watched as she stopped to smell some flowers and wave at the servants who came walking through. The servants seemed surprised to see them, but waved back none-the-less.

* * *

Glacies walked with her two siblings, down to a basement area. Two guards stood in front of two large doors. Justin turned to the guard. "What's through here?"  
"These are the catacombs and caves that run beneath the city. All our old kings and old relics are preserved down here."  
This peaked the other girl's interest. "Are we allowed to go inside and see these relics? I am curious…"  
The guard on the left shook his head. "I am sorry miss, but our tradition is to not open these doors unless we are preserving another king or relic."  
"I understand. Thank you so much."

* * *

"You call that a hit? Come on!" Patria dodged another strike from a guard. She and Brim quickly found the training area for the guards. They decided to spar with some of them.  
The guards obliged.  
Patria laughed. "This is great! I haven't had a good sparing match in forever!"  
"Me neither, Red!" Brimstone blocked another attack. Both kids laughed, and even the guards seemed to be having a good time as well.

* * *

"I didn't think you liked books."  
"Then you must not know me very well." Blaze chuckled. "I love adventure stories and books on music."  
Ryô grinned and looked around. The library was so extensive. He pulled a book off the shelves. "Though they have some dark selections…" He held out a book about poisons and how make them.  
"Well, I mean, the rules before were horrible people, so I'm sure there are plenty of books like that."  
Blaze plopped down in a chair with a book on some adventure. Ryô sat beside her, staring over her shoulder as they read the book together.

* * *

Pith held Briana's hand as they walked through the gardens; the aroma of flowers swirled around them. The princess leaned on his shoulder.  
Slowly, he ran his hand through her hair. "I've missed you so much…"  
"And I you." She kissed his cheek and nuzzled up against him. For a long moment, the two stood together. "I feel so sorry that I had to leave you behind. I wanted to tell you everything, but Father and Mother wouldn't allow me to."  
The Keyblade wielder smiled widely. "I'm not angry at you. I don't think I could ever be. I'm just happy to have you here again. Now I know where you are; and we can pick up where we left off."  
"Of course, my love." She smiled before pulling away, though she continued to hold his hands. "Pith, come with me, I have something very special to show you!" With that, she dragged him out of the garden and up the stairs of the castle.  
"Briana, where are you taking me?"  
She giggled. "It's a surprise, silly!"

* * *

By this point, the rest of the group came into their rooms: the girls to their's and the boys to their's.  
Hikari bounced on the bed. "This place is so nice and so is Briana! It's certainly changed from what you said, Glace."  
"I guess so…"  
A knock sounded on their door. Patria opened it to reveal a maid, carrying a silver tray. The maid bowed. "Hello, my lady asked me to bring you all some treats. These were specially made by our cooks."  
"What are they?"  
"Blackberry tarts." She came inside and set the tray down.  
The girls gathered around and each took one. The youngest girl looked up and saw the maid frowning. "Are you hungry?" The maid seemed surprised but nodded. "Here!" The little girl handed her the tart. "You can have mine."  
The maid took it. "Thank you, miss…" With that, she bit into it. But the second she swallowed, her eyes widened. The maid gagged, clutching her throat as foam began to bubble from her lips.  
Hikari screamed and jumped back. Glacies grabbed her shoulders. "Don't touch the tarts!" They each dropped the food as Patria went to the maid, who'd fallen down and lay still.  
The red-head grabbed her wrist and felt for a pulse. "She's gone…"  
"What was that!?"  
"She's dead!?"  
Glacies turned to Blaze. "Get to the boy's room! If they are given food, they can't eat it! HURRY!" The pyro nodded and took off down the hallway. Glacies picked up the half-eaten tart and smelled it. "Poison… someone wanted us dead."  
"Who would want to poison us?" Xally shuddered in fear.  
"Not Briana!" Patria spoke up. "Probably someone who works with those assassin creeps or something."  
Glacies held up a hand. "We don't know and we need to find out. Patria, find your brother and Briana. They might be able to help. Xally, go after Blaze and tell the others to meet us down in the courtyard. That's where the rest of us will be."  
They all nodded. Xally and Patria took off down the halls, and the others followed suit soon after.

* * *

"Sweet I needed some food…" Brim held the blackberry tart in his hand, about ready to dig in.  
Suddenly, the door burst open and Blaze stood there; before the others could react, she shot fire their way, which wrapped around the tarts and burned them into a crisp.  
"BLAZE! What was that about!?"  
"I just saved your lives!" the pyro glared. "Those things were poisoned! The maid who delivered them to us, is dead because she ate one!"  
The boys froze. "Oh…"  
A few moments later, Xally appeared in the doorway. "Guys, Glacies says for all of us to meet in the courtyard."  
"What about Pith?"  
"Tria's gone to get him and Briana."  
Justin looked at the ash pile, where his tart had been. "Do you think the princess is behind this?"  
"Patria insists that she's not and she seems trustworthy." Blaze spoke up. "But we can discuss that later, let's just get to the courtyard."  
They all moved down the halls, without noticing the figure, draped in a black cloak, down the hall behind them.

* * *

"Briana, slow down!" The two laughed as they reached a door.  
The princess turned and gave a silly grin. "Close your eyes."  
"Whatever you say." Pith closed his eyes. He heard a door swing open and felt the girl pull him inside before closing the door. However, he was very confused as he heard the door lock behind them. "Briana… what's going on?"  
"Open your eyes…"  
Pith's eyes opened, and he stared around in shock and confusion. He stood in a bedroom, with lush red carpet, a four-poster bed, and other decorations. "Briana…?"  
He saw the girl standing with her back to him. She turned her head around and smirked, before her robe fell off.  
"BRIANA!?" He turned around quickly, covering his eyes at the same time.  
He heard her giggle. "Pith, I'm decent."  
"Promise."  
"Yes!" She laughed. "Turn around."  
He slowly did so and removed his hand from over his eyes. She was indeed, still clothed. She now wore a pair of dark red boots, spandex pants of the same color, and a shirt, which showed her belly.  
She laughed. "I'm much more comfortable in clothes that are acceptable on the islands."  
Pith gave a sigh of relief. "Alright, but what's with the locked door?"  
"I just wanted to spend time with you… I've missed you so much." She began to approach him.  
The boy's eyes widened. "Briana… no."  
"Why not," she smiled as she reached him, throwing her arms around his neck. "You love me, don't you?"  
"I do, but this isn't right."  
Briana moved in closer and kissed him, but Pith pulled back. The princess frowned. "Why won't you do it."  
"It's not right. One, my parents would kill me, not to mention what yours might do. And two, we're not married."  
The princess laughed. "Your parents don't have to know. Mine won't really care, since I'm the princess and can do what I want. And, who cares about marriage anymore?"  
"I care…!" Briana planted another kiss on his lips; this time, Pith unwrapped her arms form his neck and pushed her away. "What has gotten into you!?"  
"I grew up. I thought you had too."  
The boy turned for the door, but Briana got there before him. "Let me out."  
"No!" she grabbed his arms. "Please, I love you, doesn't that mean anything?"  
Pith pulled his arms away. "This isn't an act of love. This is just the heat of the moment. I will not be a part of this, now let me out."  
He moved to pass her, but she managed to grab his arms again, this time, from behind and with a much stronger grip. "Pith please…!"  
"No!" He tried to jerk his arms away, but her grip was too strong, this time. He managed to get one arm free, but not the other.  
"Pith, I'll let go if you just turn around and look at me."  
He knew the moment he turned around, he'd be at her mercy. But, he knew a way of escape; a way he'd used to get out of holds his sister would put him in. He would turn, but he would turn a complete 360, and twist out of her grip.  
It seemed like the best idea. Then he would have time to summon his Keyblade, open the door, and get out.  
He started to turn around, slowly, but as soon as he could see Briana's face in his peripheral vision, he quickened his movements.  
But as he spun, he got a glimpse of her face. A sharp piercing feeling struck his chest, and a wave of pain jolted his body. Pith came out of the spin and fell against a wall.  
"Wh-what…!?" He gasped, feeling his chest.  
There, jutting out from the right side of his chest, with a splotch of red just forming around it, he saw the bolt from a crossbow.  
"Oh darn, I missed…"  
Pith's eyes rose and saw Briana, holding a small crossbow. "B-Briana…?!"  
"Nice plan, if you hadn't moved like that, I would've gotten your heart with the first shot." Her crossbow glowed and grew in size; she pulled back the string and a bolt appeared. "But that can be easily remedied…" Briana grinned wickedly and leveled the crossbow with Pith's heart…

* * *

**I** **may or may not have spent the entire last chapter trying to make you like Briana…**  
**I REGRET NOTHING **  
***runs away* **  
**Please review!**

* * *

**Real Love**

Having just passed Valentines day, love is a topic on many people's minds, even now.  
When it comes to love between people, our society has a pretty twisted view of it.  
But the bible has a definition of love, and it even has an entire book on it (Song of Solomon).  
Love between friends is addressed by Jesus himself in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." This is not only for us, but this is what Jesus did for us. He laid down his life so that we could live and be forgiven.  
Now as for romantic and non-romantic love, it does not mean that you have to agree on everything. You do not have to do things for others to love.  
Unconditional love is not earned, it is given freely. And while these verses speak on God's love, this is what love really is: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…"  
Look at that verse and see how it compares to the standards society puts on love.  
Whether you are a Christian or not, we all love, and this is what real love should be, and this is the same love God gives us.


	33. Chapter 32: Hazy Hamlet part 4

**We have another shorter chapter, but I think you guys are going to enjoy this one…**  
**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

* * *

**Chapter 32**

* * *

Pith stared at Briana's eyes as she pulled back on the trigger. She grinned. "Psych!" Quickly moving the weapons, she fired the bolt through his shoulder, pinning him against the wall.

"B-Briana… how could you…" The boy coughed up blood as he talked.

"Oh it was easy!" She dropped down to one knee and loaded another bolt into her crossbow. "Ever since my father sent me and Mother to spy on your family, I have been waiting to do this."

Pith moved to speak but all he could do was cough up red liquid. The girl laughed.

"Yes, I was only on the islands to spy on your family. I was supposed to befriend you and you sister, but it was just so much sweeter when you fell in love with me. And I had to play along. It was disgusting…"

Pith sat in silence, not just from the blood pooling in his mouth, but from the utter shock of it all.

The princess continued to talk. "I was so happy when Father had me and Mother come home. Oh yeah… you've never met my father, have you? Well, he will be here very soon. And don't worry about your friends; I sent them poisoned food. Hopefully, your sister didn't eat any; he was so mad that I nearly killed her before."

"T-tria…?"

"But whatever…" the girl chuckled. She looked as he attempted to move; she held out two hands and two bolts appeared. Briana knocked his hands upwards and pinned them to the wall, by piercing his hands with the bolts. Pith gasped in pain. "Aw, you can't leave, I'm no through with you yet. I want you to see your friend's dead bodies and your sister's horrible fate before I kill you."

Pith bit his lip and spit up more blood. "Wh-why? What did I ever do to you?"

"Not you specifically. But what your parents did to my father… that's why I'm doing this. Father wanted us to destroy your family, but he did not want to just kill them. He wanted them to suffer. I was to spy on your family and become your friends, but then you just had to fall in love with me. You just made my job way too easy."

The silence that filled the room, was only broken by a sharp knock on the door. "Milady, your father has returned."

"Oh? Well, it's about time." She laughed. "Let him in." Briana stood to her feet and opened the door, making sure it nearly hit the wounded Pith in the face. "Father! I have missed you so. Oh, and I have something for you to see…"

* * *

Patria ran through the castle. "Pith!" She slid around a corner and stopped as the hallway filled with guards.

"One of them survived! Capture her!"

"So this was planned…" Patria clenched her fist. "Well, come at me, big boys…" she grabbed a spear from a nearby suit of armor. "I don't need a Keyblade for you losers!" She twirled it around her hand. "Now, one of you is going to tell me where my brother is. And if you don't, I'll just have to break one of you into telling me." The guards all charged at her. "Option two it is then."

* * *

Pith looked up as Briana's father, the king, came into the room. He was a tall man with long black and silver hair. His face was scarred, but what Pith noticed mostly, was the missing eye, covered with an eye-patch.

"Well, well." The king smirked. "If it isn't Keyboy and Princess's son!?"

The boy coughed and gasped. "B-Braig!? I-It can't be!"

"Surprised? You should be!" He laughed.

"H-how…?"

Braig crossed his arms and smirked. "You shouldn't bleed out for a while, and your sister will be captured soon, so I can tell you the whole story. After your parents beat the old man and drove me off, I wandered until I came right here. I just happened to find the princess being attacked by some rebels. After saving her life, I became a guard member. I just had to keep out of sight from Terra and Aqua. But the princess is like me and loves to be bad. She hid me away and we married in secret. We had little Briana and kept her hidden away in the castle; I trained her in my own art. She can warp, summon arrows and is in command of her own little assassin group, which I'm sure you're familiar with."

"Th-the enforcers…?!"

"That's right, Pith. Father helped me bring them together and everything." She twirled her crossbow.

"My dear daughter. She's a natural killer." The king placed his hand on her head. "Now, I don't need to go into details, but after the worlds became disconnected, my wife and I murdered her parents and took over. I had too much fun becoming king. I think my favorite part was executing Terra's parents; oh, their heads did roll… I think I still have them hanging in my study."

Pith couldn't believe what he was hearing. Braig was king, Briana was evil, and they were behind the murder of Glacies' family.

Briana clapped her hands. "And soon your friends will be dealt with and your sister given to the old man… though, I still don't understand what he wants with her."

"Whatever," the king waved a hand. "It doesn't matter. And it's not even to old man. It's all 'his' doing."

"Yeah that doesn't matter. All that matters is that I'm going to get a brand new trophy." She pulled a curtain off the wall and Pith could see bloody shirts lining the wall. "Now, we just need your sister."

The door opened again and a servant stood there. Braig turned to them with an annoyed glare. "What do you want!? Are the others dead and is the girl captured."

The servant flopped around and a strange-sounding voice spoke. "I'm sorry sir, but the girl got away…" The body fell to the ground, with a spear in it's back.

Behind where it had stood, Patria gripped a spear. "So, suck it, loser!" She glared at the king before her eyes widened. "No freakin' way! Braig?!"

"Gosh, Patria, you are so stupid. You came right to us." Briana came out and glared the red-head down.

"I will deal with you later, princess. Now where is my brother?"

"T-Tria…"

Suddenly Braig grabbed Patria by her shirt collar and threw her inside the room. "So glad you could join us!"

"Why you!" Suddenly, she noticed her brother, in his battered and bloody condition. "Pith!?" She clenched her fists. "What have you done to him!?"

"Just busted him up." Briana laughed. She reached down and pulled the two bolts out of the boy's hands before grabbing the one out of his shoulder; she grabbed him and threw him at his sister's feet.

Patria picked her twin up. "Pith, talk to me…"

"R-run…"

"Not a chance, twit." The red-head chuckled. "We're getting out of this, together."

Braig chuckled. "You're not getting out of this, kiddos."

Patria stood up, hoisting her brother to his feet. "I highly doubt that. Now kiss my butt!" She grabbed a chest and threw it at the window; as the glass shattered, Patria leapt out the window, dragging Pith with her.

* * *

** Well, that happened.**

**I'll just leave now…**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Why?**

Some of you may wonder why I'm doing and why I have done these little devos at the bottom of my stories. Or, you may have wondered why I am a Christian.  
In my KH3 story, I already told this story, but for those of you who have not seen it, I feel like I should tell you as well.

If you have read the Narnia series, you would know a character named Puddleglum. This character, after taking a class on C.S. Lewis, helped me really understood why I believe what I do.

In one moment of the book, he and the others are put under a spell by a witch and she makes them believe that everything outside of her realm is but a dream. Puddleglum undoes the spell and gives a speech to the witch:

_ "One word, Ma'am," he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. "One word. All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you said. But there's one more thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's a small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say."_

This basically says what I believe.

I choose to believe in God and what He says, because why would I want to believe in anything else?  
The world says we evolved and came into being by accident; we are nothing more than cells with no real purpose in life. God says that we were made in his image, crafted by his hands, made on purpose, and that we each have a purpose in our lives.

The world looks at illness and pain, some of which is fatal and says there's nothing they can do. God says that we are healed. The lame can walk, the blind can see, the deaf can hear, those with cancer can be made whole, those with incurable diseases can be healed.

The world looks at death as the end; when we die, that's it, that's all there is. God says, that if we believe and accept him, we get to live forever in Heaven, where the streets are made of gold and there is a mansion waiting for us.

The world looks at people and says that they are alone; people turn their backs on each other all the time, and we all feel alone sometimes, and many people feel like no one could ever love them. God looks down and sees us as we are, no matter what mistakes we've made, no matter if we believe in him or not, and he loves us all regardless.

Why would I want to believe what the world says? The world talks of darkness and that there is no hope, no purpose.

But God is the light in the darkness, the hope for the hopeless, and He has a purpose for each of us.

This is why I believe what I believe.


	34. Chapter 33: Hazy Hamlet part 5

**We have one more chapter in this world, after this!**

**I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Kingdom heart (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 33: Hazy Hamlet part 5**

* * *

"Stupid guards!" Blaze brought up a wall of fire as soldiers chased them outside. "This whole thing was a setup!"

"Obviously!"

Glacies put up a shield up around the group. "We're boxed in!"

"How are we getting out of here?"

The older girl grit her teeth. "I have an idea, but we can't leave without Patria and Pith."

Just as she finished the sentence, glass shattered above them. Out of a window, Patria and Pith came tumbling. The older twin yelled. "I NEED A CUSHION!"

"Gotcha!" Blaze summoned a cloud of fire, which caught the twins without burning them. She lowered them down, behind the shield.

Patria sat on the ground, cradling her brother's bloodied body in her arms. Yuyake knelt beside them. "What happened to him?"

"I'll tell you later, Patria huffed. "Let's just get out of here."

Glacies nodded. "Everyone, follow me!" The others followed her, with Patria and Yuyake supporting Pith. They ran back inside, through old passages until they came to an old set of doors. "The catacombs are though here. We can escape."

"But how will we get out of the catacombs?"

"Don't worry, just get in there!"

The two guards in front of the door readied their weapons, but Blaze swept them away in a wave of flame. Ryo and Brim shoved the large doors open and the others came running inside, then the boys closed the door.

Glacies turned to Justin and Xally. "Bring the roof down around the door."

"Gotcha!" the two former-Jedi held out their hands and the celling began to shudder. The rocks came tumbling down until the door was well covered.

"Now…" the Keyblade master knelt down beside Patria, who still held Pith in her arms. "Tell us what happened."

"Briana… she did this." Patria snarled. "She is the leader of the assassins, oh and the daughter of Braig."

"WHAT!?"

Pith coughed. "H-he's the king… he sent her to spy on our family. Glacies, he was the one who murdered your family." The rest of the group stood there in shock. In the silence, Hikari came over and cast a Curza spell over Pith. As it worked, Patria pulled the bolts out of him.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Patria moved and stood up, carrying Pith on her back. "Alright, Glacies, what's the plan?"

The girl shook her head. She would have to think about her parents later, when they weren't in danger. "Yes. Blaze, you will have to light the way since the torches are sparse."

"Actually," Yuyake held up a hand. "There's a trench here, full of gunpowder. I think it's a lighting mechanic." He grabbed a torch and touched it to the powder. It lit up and the flames ran down the trench, spreading down throughout the entire cave system.

"That works too."

"But now we're trapped," Brim groaned.

Glacies started walking. "Not necessarily. This is where the royal family was buried. Say a king came in here to honor his ancestors and there was a cave-in. He would need some sort of escape route. Ergo, there has to be a secondary passage out of this place."

"Great thinking, Glace!"

"Now come on," the oldest girl smiled. "Let's get moving…"

* * *

For hours they walked through the quiet tunnels, where the slightest noise echoed throughout. They followed the trench of fire thought the winding passages, past graves and hanging skeletons. Eventually, they came to a crossroads. The trench of fire split into five different trenches, with each one going down a different passage.

"Well, crap."

"What do we do now?" Hikari shuddered at the thought of being trapped down in this dark and dismal place.

Glacies sighed. "We split up… but we need to find a way to keep in contact."

"I've got that, Glace!" Blaze held out her hand and five little tongues of fire appeared. All but one leapt off her hand and they went to Yuyake, Patria, Brim, and Justin. "I learned this a few days ago. This fire will sit in your pocket and if you find the exit, just tell it to summon us. The message will actually come to me; then the other fire tongues will then lead the rest of us to you."

Glacies nodded. "Great, now, we need to go in groups of two. Patria, you and Pith can be the first group."

The older twin nodded, turning her head to look at her brother, who was still on her back. "I'll take care of him." The little fire jumped into her pocket; she turned and went down the furthest tunnel to the right.

Yuyake held up a hand. "I'll go with Hikari."

"Yeah! We make a great team." The little girl picked up the little flame and put it in her pocket. She took the older boy's hand and they went to the closer tunnel on the right.

"Brim," the Keyblade master looked over at him. "You and I will take the middle road. Justin, you and Xally take the next tunnel, and Blaze and Ry, you guys take the last one."

"Sounds good."

"Alright."

The last three groups parted ways, going down into the tunnels.

* * *

Patria could feel her twin's steady breathing on her neck. He'd fallen asleep due to the amount of blood he'd lost from his wounds. Curza could replenish the lost blood, but it would take a long time. He needed his rest.  
The girl's mind raced with the thought of Briana and Braig. "When I see that brat again, I'm going to fillet her and feed her to sharks!"

No exit appeared, so she kept walking. Pith didn't stir. Finally, the tunnel opened up into a large cavern. The walls glittered with crystal in the firelight; stalactite and stalagmites lined the floor and celling. Columns of limestone towered overhead.

"Nice place…

"Indeed it is." Patria looked up. Briana stood on a ledge of shimmering limestone, crossbow in hand.

The older twin walked over to an outcropping and laid Pith down. "So, you came here from the exit, Bri?"

"Or I was just warping around to find you in order to kill your brother and bring you in."

Patria narrowed her eyes. "Why do you want me alive now? You never wanted me alive before."

"I kept getting in trouble for trying to kill you." Briana huffed. "And now I have to do as I'm told. But at least I get to kill Pith."

"Who wants me alive? Xehanort?"

"Well, yes and no. It's complicated…" The princess loaded a bolt in her crossbow.

Patria summoned her Keyblade. "Come near me and my brother, and I'll kill you."

* * *

"How are we gonna cross that!?"

Yuyake and Hikari stood at the edge of a great chasm, with a drop of at least thirty feet. Stalagmites jutted up at uneven points. The celling hung low with the thick roots of trees dangling from the rock.  
The older boy walked the edge of the cliff, looking around. He stopped. "I think there is some tech on the other side. I can see a panel from here; it's probably controls for a bridge. I can make it across; wait here."

"Dang it, you had to be the one to come here." The two Keybearers looked up to see Xext standing on a broken-off stalagmite. His hands lit up with green flame and he began shooting it down at them.

"Look out!" Yuyake pulled Hikari behind a rock, where they found a pile of ropes and board: the remains of an old plank bridge.

"Yake, what are we going to do?"

He sighed. "I can't leave you here alone. He'll come after you. You and I have to get across. There is cover over on the other side, where we can get to him. The only problem is getting you across…" For a moment he sat there before he reached over and pulled the bow out of her hair. He gently tied it over her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Just trust me. Get on my back." The younger girl got on his back, riding piggy-back. Yuyake stood up and grabbed some rope. He tied the rope around them tying Hikari and himself together. "Wrap your arms around me and grab your own arms, so you don't choke me. Wrap your legs around me too. Whatever you do, don't let go."

The girl did as he said. "Wh-what are you going to… oh. Oh no. You're not going to cross that with me on your back!?"

"I've done it before with my girlfriend on my back, and you're much smaller. It should be alright."

"Should be!?"

"Don't worry," Yuyake squeezed her hand. "I'll take care of you." He summoned both of his Keyblades and waited for Xext to pause in his barrage of flames. The moment he had a chance, Yuyake came out from behind his cover and ran for the chasm. His eyes fixed on the rounded spire of the nearest stalagmite, and then he jumped.

* * *

"A room full of columns. Well, this isn't confusing." Brim groaned.

Glacies patted his back. "It'll be alright. We just need to mark where we've been."

"Sounds good." Brim took out a hatchet to mark the nearest column.

"I don't think that will matter."

"You're going to die anyway."

The two Keybearers spun around to see Jazzy and Rodia. "Well, crap…"

"I take one, you take the other?" Glacies looked over at her partner.

"Dibs on the cutie." The boy winked at Rodia who gave returned it with a smile.

Glacies rolled her eyes. "Have fun with that…"

"I don't mind leaving her with the flirt. I get to kill you now."

"I do believe that you and I have done this before." The Keyblade Master smirked. "Last time I took you on it didn't end so well for you."

Jazzy's nails extended. "We'll see about that…"

Rodia brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sorry about this. You seem like a really nice guy, but I have to do this…" She waved her hands and water began coming off the walls. It floated around her.

"Sorry, sweet-cheeks, but I won't go quietly." He knelt down as she swirled the water around her and sent it streaking towards him. Brim ran his hands along the flames sewn into his coat, or more specifically the Dust embedded in the fabric. As the water approached, he swung his hands upwards and flames followed, just in time to turn the watery assault into steam.

"What? Since when could you…?"

"You'll find that I'm full of surprises, hot stuff." Fire still hung in the air; Brim twirled his hatchets into the flames and they became coated in fire. "Now, let's dance!"

* * *

"These caves are lovely in the firelight, but I guess we can thank you for that."

Blaze gave a beautiful smile. "Y-you're welcome." Slowly, she reached over and took Ryô's hand. A blush spread across both of their faces.

"Ugh… disgusting love."

"I'm happy for them…"

The couple quickly let go, their faces flushing even more red than before. They looked over to where the voices came from, only to see Malachi and Lyla waiting for them. "Looks like we have to fight."

"Let me face Lyla…" Ryô spoke gently. "I want to try and help her."

"Ok, then I'll handle Mr. Hammer."

Lyla drew her bow and Malachi hefted up his hammer. Before the two heroes could react, the boy came charging at them, dragging his hammer. The two barely had time to dodge before he swung at them, catching Blaze in the gut, sending her flying into a wall.

"Blaze!" Ryô tried to run to her aid, only for Lyla to shoot an arrow at him; the end split open to become a glowing net. The Keybearer turned just in time to slice the net to pieces. "Lyla, I don't want to do this."

"Well then, you can die…"

* * *

"Xally, you sense that?"

"Of course I do…" The two cousins found themselves in a long tunnel with ledges jutting out from every part of the walls.

Justin summoned his Keyblades. "We know you're here! Come out!"

A spell came down fro one of the ledges and struck the ground around them. The former Jedi leapt apart, looking around for their assailant. "There!"

Cander stood above them, wand in hand. "I hoped it would be you two. I have greatly wondered which would be stronger: magic or the Force. Now we can test that theory."

"Fine!" Justin levitated his Keyblades and sent them flying at the dark wizard.

Cander waited until the two swords were close before using a spell to knock both of them down to the ground. "Is that the best that the Jedi can offer me? I feel insulted. Let me show you true power! _Avada Kedavra_!"

The green spell jolted from the tip of Cander's wand, zipping through the air towards the two former Jedi. Xally summoned her weapon. "Justin, get behind me!" Her cousin jumped behind her as she levitated her Keyblade in front of them, spinning it at lightning speed.

The spell his the sword and bounced right back at its owner. Cander leapt to the side, astonished. "How did you…?"

"Don't mess with us!"

* * *

"Stand still you b…"

"Language, Tria," Briana teased as she shot the girl again. "Too bad you can't keep up with me." She began warping around the room. "It would make this game way more fun and less one-sided."

"I'll show you one-sided!"

Briana merely chuckled as her opponent charged forward. She leapt over Patria and fired a bolt into her lower leg; Patria stumbled but quickly reached down and ripped it out before casting a Cure spell. "My, my. You have gotten so tough. No wonder Angel didn't kill you right off. Now me, I'll make it quick."

Briana warped down and grabbed Patria by the ponytail and swung her into a column. Patria's nose began spewing blood as the assassin swung her again, this time towards the edge of a deep pit.  
"I'll murder you!" Another spell fixed the broken nose, but Patria couldn't stand before two more bolts found their way into her arms.

Briana took delight at the girl's cries of pain. She marched up to Patria, grinning wildly. "Take one good look at your brother. It's the last you'll see of him." Planting her boot on Patria's chest, she shoved, sending the girl tumbling down the hole and onto an outcropping fifteen feet below.

With a crack, the Keybearer could feel her bones shatter in multiple places. She cast Curza but it wasn't working fast enough. "I have to do something…" She closed her eyes and reached within herself. "Darkness… you want out? I won't let you have control of me, but I'll let some of your power out if you let me borrow it. Please…"

Pith barely had the energy to summon his Keyblade and place a barrier spell around himself as Briana approached, firing bolts from her crossbow. "Briana…"

"Save it for the grave, sweetheart." The barrier ran out of time and fell, leaving Pith exposed.

Briana raised her weapon and placed her finger on the trigger. "Hey, Princess!" She turned around and gasped.

"Patria!?"

The red-head came strutting towards them, head held high. Darkness curled around her, but she was smiling. "Wanna run that by me again, Bri?"

"Well, well, he was right darkness is rampant in your heart."

"Not rampant," the dark-Keybearer grinned. "Just taking up residence. And we made a deal. Now, come at me."

Briana moved to fire at Patria, but the girl was suddenly gone. "Where did you…?"

"Here!" Out of Briana's own shadow leapt Patria, who placed her hand around the princess's neck. Briana dropped her crossbow and began clawing at her opponent's hand. The dark-girl tightened her grip on Briana's throat and walked over to the same pit where Briana had knocked her in earlier. "Enjoy the void." With one fluid motion, Patria threw Briana down, making sure that the princess did not land on the outcropping." Briana disappeared into the darkness, with only the echoes of her scream left.

The darkness around Patria subsided as she went to her brother. "Hey Pith."

"Sis… what did you do?"

"Made a deal," she picked her twin up on her back. "I use some darkness and it get to be released. Now, lets get moving."

She carried him for about five more minutes before they turned a corner and saw light. "The exit!"

"We found it!"

Patria ran for the opening, her and Pith grinning happily.

* * *

Yuyake landed on the first spire, wobbling for a moment with the extra weight on his back. "Ohhh boy… I can do this…"

"What!?" Xext stared at him, mouth wide open. "Well, you're insane! I don't even have to do anything. I'll just wait for you to fall and take the little girl with you."

The Keybearer let out a sigh. "At least that makes my job easier…" With the extra weight accounted for in his step and mind, Yuyake leapt for the second spire, then the third. He grabbed some of the low-hanging roots and bridged the large gaps between stalagmites.

"H-he's really doing it."

Yuyake looked ahead and saw the last jump; it was from a higher point and it was also longer. Normally he would land and go into a roll to absorb the shock, but he couldn't do that with Hikari on his back. He'd have to take the landing.

"Hikari…" he whispered. "I hate to say this, but you may have to take Xext on alone for a short time."

"Wh-what!? Why?"

"If I don't make the landing right, I could really injure my leg." He squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. You can take him."

Without waiting for a reply, he went for the next spire. When Yuyake reached the last spire he didn't stop and think, he just jumped. The moment his legs left the stalagmite, he knew he wasn't going to make this landing.

He hit the ledge and his right foot twisted under him. The boy was able to catch himself with his hands and knees, but his leg was busted. Grabbing the rope around him and Hikari, he pulled it loose. "Go Kari!"

The girl tumbled off and pushed the blindfold off her eyes. Xext stood above them, mouth agape. "Wow… I'm not one to compliment the enemy, but that was the coolest thing I've ever seen."

"Well, now it's time to pay the price for admission…" Yuyake groaned as his foot pulsed in pain.

Shaking off his amazement, the assassin looked down at Hikari, who was retying the bow in her hair. "You're kidding… all I have left to fight is the squirt?"

"This squirt can fight." Hikari summoned her Keyblade as Yuyake cast Curza on his foot and waited for the spell to work its magic.

The little girl watched as Xext came down and faced her. "I normally wouldn't even waste my magic on you, but one of your friends killed my mother, so I guess some vengeance is in order." He held out his hand.  
Hikari felt her muscles tense and lock in place. He must have been using his body-control ability. The girl closed her eyes and struggled. She focused on her dad, and how she wanted to see him again. She focused and tried to break free, for his sake.

Suddenly, she felt as if something had snapped inside her. Hikari gasped in shock as pale blue light exploded from her, sending Xext back and blinding him and Yuyake.

When they looked back, Hikari was floating above the ground. She wore a short blue dress with flowers on it; her eyes glowed a bright blue. A set of blue wings spread out behind her.

"Wh-what is happening!?"

Xext surrounded his hands in fire. "What kind of trick is this!?"

Hikari did not answer. She held up a hand and green vines, covered in white flowers, shot out, surrounding Xext.

"Get back!" The assassin attempted to burn the vies away, but the flowers took the fire and it did not harm them. "Th-this is insane! I-I'm out!" He opened a dark corridor to leave; one of the flowers leapt off the vines and attached to his face. Xext cried out and fell into the corridor, which promptly closed behind him.

"Hikari?" Yuyake forced himself to stand up.

The girl turned her eyes on him and blinked. The blue light faded for her eyes and she lowered to the ground. As her feet touched down, her clothes went back to their originals and the wings disappeared. Hikari blinked. "What happened? Where'd Xext go?"

"Y-you don't remember what you did?"

"Did what?"

Yuyake gave a small smile, putting his arm on her head. "Come on. I'll explain on the way."

They walked, and he talked. By the end, the little girl's eyes were wide as plates. "I did all that?"

"Yep," he shook his head. "It was crazy…" He paused. "Look…!" Ahead of them was a light.

"We found the exit!"

* * *

Glacies fell back, blocking Jazzy's nails. The Keyblade Master kicked the girl off. As she tried to get up, a blast of sand hit her from behind and rammed the young master into a column.  
"Not so cocky now, are we Keyblade Master?"

The older girl grit her teeth as she turned on her opponent, only to be met with another barrage of sand. She managed to pull up a shield around herself, in order to catch her breath.

Jazzy smirked and covered the shield with sand. "Now, have fun…" The assassin cast Thundza and turned the covering of sand to glass. As Glacies' shield fell, the mutant sent a tornado of sand. The tornado shattered the glass dome and engulfed the Keyblade Master. "Beaten by your own trick."

However, there were no screams of pain. Through the tornado, she could see Glacies surrounded by her own spiral of wind, which was turning the opposite direction. The Keyblade Master took a deep breath. "Tempest!" Her small spiral of wind blew out in every direction, dissipating Jazzy's wind and sending the shards of glass back at her. The assassin put up a shield of sand, but the glass had too much forces and sliced through it, jabbing into Jazzy's body.

"Augh!"

"You were saying?" Glacies was breathing heavily. The force from that attack took it out of her, but Jazzy was in worse shape.

The assassin opened up a dark corridor and hobbled inside, clutching at the wounds which peppered her body like the stars peppered the night sky.

As this was going on, Brim and Rodia dueled it out. The girl pulled water from the wet cave walls, while Brim pulled from the Dust in his coat. The air around them became clouded with steam.  
"Where'd you go!?" Rodia cried out.

Brim laughed in the cloud. "Come on. You can pull the water out of these clouds." His voice was moving around her, so she could not tell where he was."

"Fine!" Gathering up her strength, Rodia focused and pulled all of the water to her. The steam vanished and the air around her cleared, but she could not see him. "Huh? Where did you…?"

"You fell for it." Rodia jumped, as the voice came from directly behind her. But before she could react, Brim slammed the hilt of one of his hatchets into the back of her head. The assassin crumpled to the ground. "Sorry about that, sweet cheeks. You'll have a major headache when you get up, but you'll be alright."

He looked over and saw Glacies drinking an elixer; she smiled at him. "Guess we beat them."

"Yep…" He looked around and saw a tunnel to their right, and it seemed to be a little brighter. "Think that might lead out of here?"

"Probably." The two smiled and headed for the tunnel.

* * *

Blaze backflipped away from another of Malachi's swings. "Dang, you're persistent…"

"Stand still!" He attacked once again, this time barely missing her.

Blaze lit her hair on fire and unleashed a wave of flames which Malachi walked straight through, ignoring the burns on his legs and arms. His movements came quick and fast, as he slammed the hammer into her once more; Blaze managed to create cushion of fire, but the blow still knocked the wind out of her.

The pyro shot flames from her hand and launched herself into the air. "Fine, you wanna play it like that!" Her body lit up, eyes alight with green fire. Holding out her arms, fire shot out, turning into giant arms of fire.

"Bring it!" Using the arms, she grabbed him, pulling his hammer out of the assassin's hands.

Now Malachi cried out, as the giant fist tightened around him, burning him. "LET ME GO! YOU MONSTER!"

"On one condition." The mutant tightened her grip. "You leave… now!"

The assassin groaned but slowly nodded. "I-I agree to your terms." Blaze dropped him; instantly, he opened a corridor and fled, opening another one to bring his hammer to him.

While this happened, Ryô dodged all of Lyla's arrows. "Lyla! Stop this!"

"You're in the way, Ryô." The elf closed her eyes. "I know we were friends once upon a time, but that time is over. Lady Briana's word is law. I do as she says."

"Since when were you nothing but a slave?"

"I AM NO SLAVE!" The elf shot another arrow at him.

Ryô blocked it. "I saw Luna…" This caused his opponent to pause in her tracks. "She misses you."

"Why would she…?"

"Luna is your best friend. She's never given up on you… never…" the boy smiled. "Please, come home with me. You will be welcomed home with open arms…"

Lyla shook her head. "What about my crimes… I murdered people."

"You may have to serve time, but I know that my grandparents will grant you mercy." The Keybearer held a hand out to her. "Please, come home…"

The elf looked on him for a moment before Ryô saw a tear trickle down her face. "I-I'm sorry…" She opened a dark corridor and fled without another word.

Ryô could only watch; Blaze came over, laying her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about Lyla. She may be too far gone. "

"There's hope for her. I won't give up." The boy let out a long sigh. "Let's just keep moving." Continuing on, they soon came to a dead end.

"Look, there's light behind these rocks. The entrance must have caved in."

Blaze leapt up on the pile and began pulling away at them. "We're almost out!"

* * *

Cander cast the killing curse once more. "I'll slaughter you!"

Justin jumped back to avoid the curse. Xally came over beside him. "We have to get in close. Wanna do the surfing thing?"

"Sure." The boy allowed Xally to stand on one of his Keyblades, as it levitated. He sent them flying at Cander. The wizard cast spell after spell, but Xally was able to block them.

The girl slammed into Cander, tackling him down. His wand skittered away. "Get off me, you brat!"

"Not a chance! You're helpless without that wand of yours!"

The boy was able to push her off. He crawled over to his wand and turned around. "Ava…" Xally stood over him and slammed her Keyblade across his face, leaving a deep red gash, and knocking him unconscious.

"Got him!" Xally sighed. Then she looked up, behind where Cander had been standing. "Justin! I found the exit!"

"I'll be up there in a second!"

* * *

Yuyake and Hikari came out of their tunnel only to see Justin and Xally come out of a nearby tunnel. "Hey! I guess there was more than one exit."

"Guess so."

The four turned as they heard footsteps. A large platoon of royal soldiers came around them. "Halt in the name of the king!"

"Oh no…"

* * *

**This chapter took me forever. Hope you liked it!**

**Please review!**

* * *

**Loss**  
Normally, I would try to connect this devo to the chapter, but I feel like I have to say something.

Yesterday, I attended my grandfather's funeral.

It is always hard to lose a family member, especially one that you are close to.

However, there is a peace that I and my family have about this. When someone dies we grieve, but we don't grieve the same as other people. We celebrate at funerals. We have a hope that other people don't.

I know that my grandfather is alive, in heaven, talking with God right now.

As a Christian, I do not fear death, and though I miss my grandfather on earth, I know that I will see him again.

As much as I miss him, I have hope, always.

If your family member is a Christian and they are passing, know that there is hope.


	35. Chapter 34: Hazy Hamlet part 6

**Hi guys! **

**This is the last chapter of Hazy Hamlet!**

**There will be a reference to a certain anime in this chapter. This is because in the sequel the gang will visit that world, and it will appear in my KH3 rewrite. **

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 34: Hazy Hamlet part 6**

* * *

"Glacies?"

"Patria?" the older girl blinked and looked around as everyone except for Justin, Xally, Hikari, and Yuyake came out of the caves. "I guess that all of the tunnels led outside."

"I'm glad you're all safe." To their left Anthony came out of the trees.

Glacies smiled. "Anthony, it's good to see you."

The young man smiled. "I'm glad you're alive. I thought you were going to die when the soldiers took you away. That's exactly what happened to Father, Grandmother, and Grandfather."

"So it was Braig…"

Anthony nodded and walked over to Pith. "Your friend is injured and there were four others with you, correct?"

"Yeah…"

"I'll have some of my scouts search for the others."

Glacies cocked her head. "Your scouts?"

Her cousin waved his hand. "I'll explain later. Just follow me…" They jogged away from the caves, into a clump of trees.

For about two minutes, they moved deeper into the cover of trees, until a lithe figure slipped out from behind a tree. "Anthony, there you are."

The figure was a girl, and she was an elf from tech town. She had purple skin and short black hair, covering one of her purple eyes. However, her pointed ears were very short, as if they had been cut short.

"I told you I'd be back, Iola. I have news but I need you to go to the other exit to the catacombs and see what became of four children: a girl with orange hair, a boy with brown hair, a boy with black hair, and a girl with pink and blonde hair."

"Of course," Iola nodded and took off.

"That girl…"

"What is it?" Anthony motioned for them to continue to follow him. "Actually, wait just a minute, until we get into the hideout." He led them under a large outcropping and knocked on a boulder. It shifted and moved to the side as a large man stuck his head out. "Hello Marshall."

"Commander." Marshall moved the rock further and allowed everyone inside.

"Anthony, what is going on?"

The young man smiled. "Well, after what happened to our family, Glace, someone had to take over the rebellion. I took the job."

"I see." Glacies looked around at the cave they stood in. It was like an older set of catacombs made up into a suitable base for the rebellion. "And that friend of yours will find our other companions, right?"

"Iola is the best scout we have. I'd trust her with anything and everything."

"Of course you would, son." A woman with dirty blonde hair came forward. "She is your fiance after all."

Glacies gasped and hugged the woman. "Aunt Abigail!"

"Good to see you, Glacies."

"Excuse me, Anthony," Ryô coughed and walked over to Glacies' cousin. "I was wondering about Iola. She's a Tech Elf isn't she?"

The rebellion leader nodded. "Indeed. Over five years ago the princess, who is now queen, ordered for soldiers to go to the sister-world of Tech Town and bring back some Tech Elves as slaves. Iola was one of twenty elves."

"I remember that…" Ryô's eyes lit up with realization. "My Grandfather, the king of Tech Town, had search parties for twenty elves who went missing on the outside of the royal city."

"Well, she was one of them. She was sold to one of the guard captains; he abused her and other did horrible things to her. And he even cropped her ears because he thought they were too long. He lost her while gambling and I bought her in order to protect her. I swore that, as soon as King Braig and his family were overthrown I would free her."

"And marry her?" Pith rasped, quietly.

Anthony laughed. "That was not the original plan. I was going to sent her home, with the other elves. However, things happened."

"And I am happy…" Iola stepped towards them. "However, my dear. The four you asked me to find, are in danger. They were surrounded by the royal soldiers, along with the princess herself and he royal assassins."

Everyone jumped as Patria let out a roar of fury, kicking a wooden table over. "I threw that frickin' b… monster of a princess off a frickin' cliff! How the heck is she still alive!?"

"Calm down sis…" Pith shakily put a hand on her shoulder. "And that's not the biggest problem. Our friends are captured and we know that Briana and Braig will not hesitate to murder them…"

* * *

"Ow!" Hikari cried out as one of the soldiers chained her arms over her head, jerking her arm nearly out of their sockets.

Braig laughed. "Man, I can't believe a wimpy little kid like you managed to defeat Xext."

"Leave her alone!"

A foot hit Yuyake's face. A woman with brown hair, chuckled. "Shut up, boy."

"Oh, kick him again, Mother." Briana grabbed Xally's hair and pulled, hard. "Their deaths will be swift, so we must make their last hours alive pure agony."

"Well, they won't be as swift as you think."

Braig looked at his wife. "That's right, Holly. While we usually behead our prisoners, these four are special. I think you should choose, dear: burning at the stake, or drowning in the frozen river?"

Yuyake, Hikari, Xally, and Justin all tensed. Briana looked at the four. "Hmm. Why not both? We can burn the boys and drown the girls."

"Sounds wonderful. I'll have the executioners prepare for it. They will die at sunset."

* * *

Anthony crossed his arms. "I was afraid of this… Braig will execute them today."

"How are you sure they're still alive?"

"He has an ego," Brim held up his hand. "We've all heard the stories of Braig. He wants to make a spectacle of their deaths to show everyone that he won."

The rebellion leader nodded. "Sounds just like him… Glacies, how good are you at strategy?"

"I studied it for years."

"Good." He took her hand. "Come along. I'm going to need your help to rescue your friends."

* * *

"Crap!" Xally cried out. "Yake, these manacles… they tighten when Justin and I try to use the Force or try to summon our Keyblades."  
"Same…"  
They paused at the sound of tears. Hikari sobbed. "I-I don't wanna die…"  
"You won't. None of us will. The others will save us."  
The girl's eyes lifted up, glimmering with tears of fright. Yuyake smiled slightly. "Hikari, don't worry. I'll be here for you. I promise, you won't die." The young girl didn't smile but nodded slightly.

* * *

Glacies let out a long sigh. "It's not a perfect plan and we'll have to improvise some of it, but Patria can handle that easily."

"Glacies I hope you know how grateful I am for you and your friends helping us." Anthony smiled. "This plan will not only save your friends, but it will rid our world of Braig and his family."

"It's the least we can do…"

The cousins stood in silence until the young man coughed. "Glacies, I have a special request…"

"What is it?"

"I remember my uncle telling my mom that in days past, Keyblade Masters were sent out to watch over certain worlds." He scratched the back of his head. "I was wondering if, after this is all over, if you would come and be this world's protector?"

Glacies paused. "You really want me to?"

"Absolutely," her cousin smiled. "We will still have soldiers and slavers to deal with. You could really be of help…"

The Keyblade Master stood silently for a moment before her eyes moved back to him. "I'd be honored…"

"Thank you. Now, let us save your friends and rid this world of Braig."

"Yeah!"

* * *

Yuyake and Justin grimaced as their captors bound them to posts, tying their bonds so tight that the ropes cut into their skin. At the same time, Xally and Hikari were bound hand-and-food, and large blocks of stone were chained to their feet. The two girls were standing on a small floating raft in the middle of a pond with two guards ready to shove them and the blocks of stone into the water.

Braig grinned, holding up his hand. "Today, you will all bear witness to the death of four assassins and spies. They infiltrated the castle to murder me and my family. Now, they will die for their crimes." He moved to bring his hand down, as a gesture to execute the four Keybearers.

The gates around the castle shuddered violently as the gates blew off their hinges. The entire rebellion army, along with the other Keybearers, came pouring into the courtyard. All the soldiers charged at the enemy. Braig looked over at Briana and they nodded.

At the same moment, the father and daughter warped. Patria saw this and groaned; that was how Briana got out of the chasm. Braig appeared behind Hikari and Xally and Brianan between Justin and Yuyake.

The assassin princess summoned a second crossbow and two arrows, tipped with fire. She fired the arrows at the oil-coated wood at the boy's feet, which instantly lit up in flames. The boys shouted as the fire began licking at their flesh. At the same moment, Braig shoved the large stones and Xally and Hikari into the water.

"No!" Patria and Pith both ran over and dove into the water. At the bottom of the pond, the two girls struggled as the twins swam down and unlocked their chains. They pulled the tied up girls back up to the surface. Patria dragged Hikari to the shore before untying her; Pith did the same with Xally.

They looked over to where Yuyake and Justin were, only to see Blaze absorbing the fire as Brim cut the two boys loose.

"Coming in through the front door. Not the best strategy…" Patria barely had time to raise her sword up and block an attack from Braig.

The red-head shoved him back. Pith was now locked in combat with Briana. "This was actually the best idea ever, you just don't know it yet…"

* * *

Glacies stood on top of the gates, holding her aunt's hand. Abigail looked at her. "Are you sure you can cast that spell?"

"I should be able to, but I don't know if I can do it without consequence. The last person to use this spell, who was the person who taught it to my mom, can't age anymore. Also, our magic works differently from theirs… and though I've trained in this spell for ten years, I don't know if I can." Glacies sighed, holding up her hand. "But I have to try, for the sake of your world."

"If you're sure…"

"I am…" Glacies closed her eyes and moved her hands diagonal from each other, about six inches apart. A ball of light appeared and began to glow; the light from it caught the attention of everyone around them.

Xally gasped. "She can't! That spell could hurt her!"

Glacies closed her eyes, focusing on the spell. When her eyes opened, they glowed white. She pressed her hands together swiftly. "LAW…" A light engulfed the entirety of the courtyard, castle, and part of the town.

When the light disappeared, Braig, Holly, and Briana were gone. All the soldiers lay on the ground, devoid of all energy and barely alive; everyone else stood perfectly fine.

"I-I did it…" The young Keyblade master fell to her knees.

"They're gone!"

All the rebels let out a cheer. Yuyake managed to get over to Hikari and hugged her. The little girl snuggled up against him. "I told you, Kari… the others would find us."

"Yeah…"

Anthony placed a hand on his head. "I can't believe it… one attack… one spell and we're free of them."

As Abigail helped Glacies to the ground, Patria stormed over. "What, the heck!? You had a spell like that and you didn't use it before!?"

"That spell takes ten years to master and if you haven't mastered it, you could suffer some great consequences. I only used it because I had no other choice. I couldn't think of another option on short notice so I used it. Hikari and Xally were in no condition to fight and we all know Braig would target them. I did what I had to."

Pith looked around. "Are they dead, I mean Braig, Holly, and Briana?"

"No," Glacies shook her head. "The creators of that spell use a different form of magic than we do and so I was able to control it differently. I only put a little bit of magic energy into it, just enough to hurt them but not kill them."

"Whatever… I'm going to find that Keyhole so we can get out of here. Ciao." Patria turned and strutted off.

Xally turned on her older sister. "Glace, you could've been killed by that spell. You know what happened to Mavis!"

"I know…"

Glacies felt a hand touch her shoulder. Her cousin smiled at her. "Glacies, when you've found and rescued your parents, you'll return soon, right?"

"After we've found them, I'll let them know and I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Thank you." She looked over and saw Patria coming back, tossing the last lock piece up and down. "I guess it's time to go now… you'll be ok for a while, right?"

"Of course. Get going and save our family."

"I will."

* * *

"The Gate of Nadir, here we come."

Glacies looked out the window as Hazy Hamlet faded away. "I'm glad we helped free them from Braig's reign."

"Talk later, we're here!" Patria grinned widely and wickedly. "We're gonna take down Xehanort and rescue our parents!"

Hikari shuddered. "Do you really think we can beat him?"

"Yeah!"

"We've got this!"

Justin and Xally laid out all the lock pieces. The small stones began to glow. They shot through the ship and swirled through space before turning into a large doorway.

"That's it…" Pith closed his eyes.

Patria walked over to the console and opened up a communications link. "Uh, Tria, what are you doing?"

"Having some fun!" The red-head laughed as the faces of Ansem and Sasuke appeared on the screen. "Hey you two!"

Ansem smiled. "It's good to see you kids. I assume you found the last lock pieces."

"We sure did!"

"Good," Sasuke nodded. "Now come back here and we'll make a battle plan."

"Actually…" Patria plopped down in the cockpit chair, kicking her feet up on the console. "We're already at the Gate of Nadir and we're about to go in."

"WHAT!?"

"You can't! You don't know what's in there! We still don't know who's behind this!"

Patria yawn. "Actually we do. And we're about to go through. Oh, and by the way, the guy we're up against, is Xehanort." With that, she shut off communications and cut power to the console.

"Sasuke is going to kill you."

"Who cares…" Patria laughed. "Let's get through that gate and kick some old-man butt!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Deep in the Gate of Nadir, Xehanort sat on a throne, reading a book. The ground beneath him shuddered.

"It appears our guests have arrived." Closing the book, he averted his eyes to the left, where thirteen black pods, similar to the one Sora slept in for a year, stood. In each of them, slept one of the Guardians of Light, their faces contorted into agony.

They dreamed. Visions of their worst nightmares and horrors were lived and relived in their minds. The perfect torture.

Xehanort could only chuckle at their expressions. "Rest easy, guardians. I will let you see your children, before I slaughter them in front of you."

"I do not think I've ever seen you this happy." While the words came from Xehanort's mouth, the voice and words were not his own; this voice was younger, darker, and filled with more malice and evil. The old man's eyes turned black as a Pureblood Heartless. "Do not worry, Xehanort, you will get your vengeance…"

* * *

**Please Review**

**Mother's Day**

For those of us who live in America, Sunday is Mother's Day.

In the bible, there are mentions of parents and there is even a command about how to deal with parents.

Ephesians 6:1-3 says, "_Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), 'that it may go well with you and that may life long in the land._'"

If you know your ten commandments then you know that it is number 5.

What this basically says is that you need to show honor to your parents, even if they annoy you. You should love them, and respect them, even if they are not very nice.

So, this is basically here to say, treat your parents with honor, every day, not just on Mother's Day or Father's Day.


	36. Chapter 35: The Gate of Nadir

**There is one more chapter left before the epilogues!**

**I hope you guys like it!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs (c) to me!**

**Hiro and (the other) Hikari (c) to Nintendoman01!**

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**Chapter 35: The Gate of Nadir**

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Light blinded the group as they stepped into the Gate of Nadir, but as they passed through the light did not go away, but moved above them. As their eyes adjusted, a strange sight laid itself out before them.

"Wait? This is the gate? This is where Xehanort is hiding?"

In front of them lay a desert and directly below the hill they all stood on, sat a small village.

"This place is a world of its own."

The group all went down into the village. They opened every door but there was no one in sight. Patria shrugged. "Guess we have the run of the place."

"Hey," Brim looked around. "Where'd Pith go?"

Everyone else was nearby, but the younger twin was nowhere in sight. His twin sister turned and began to walk away. "I'll find him." She jogged around the village. A flash of green on the balcony of the largest building told her all she needed. Going up the stairs, she saw Pith sitting with his knees curled against his chest. "Hey tweeddle-dum."

"Hey…"

"Wow," Patria sat beside him. "You usually get really mad when I use that name. Now that I think about it, we hated it when Dad would call us 'tweedle-dee' and 'tweedle-dum'." Pith gave no reply, and his sister saw tears begin to stream down his face. "It's Briana isn't it?"

"Yeah…" His voice trembled. "I was able to keep up a calm facade… but not anymore. I-I gave her my trust, my heart, and my love. She just destroyed it…"

"And she won't get away with it. I promise."

He looked over at his twin, smiling slightly. "You promise?"

"I promise." The two hugged.

"Thanks sis…"

Patria helped her twin stand up. "Now, we can talk and mope later. We have an old man to take out."

"Yeah."

As the two came down to where the others were, Yuyake yelled. "Patria! Pith! Get over here!"

The twins reached them only to see an old man standing among them. "Who the heck is that?"

"Ah, hello." The old man smiled. "It is good to see people here."

"Who are you?"

The man stroked his white beard. "My name is Kaoru. I am the last of this village of Dainashi."

The group looked around. The village looked like it had been beautiful once before, but now it was destroyed. "What happened here?"

"It was a man. He came here and destroyed the village with dark magic. He drove out everyone; I only stayed here because I am stubborn. Our leader, Lord Hiro, came with the army, but the man drove them all away. His daughter, Lady Hikari came with another force, but they to were driven back."

Glacies cocked her head. "How are there people living here? This land is sealed off."

"According to our legends," Kaoru sat on a barrel, hands folded, "our ancestors were banished here by a great darkness."

"Who cares!?" Patria groaned. "Hey, old guy. The man who wrecked this village, where is he?"

"Patria…!"

Kaoru pointed to a large hill. "Our village temple. The door is still open but the rest of it is covered by sand."

"Thank you." She stormed off.

Glacies gave a little bow to the man. "Thank you Kaoru, and I apologize for our friend's attitude."

The old man nodded with a smile as the group ran off after Patria. "Patria!"

"That was mean!"

"I don't care." The older twin opened up a door under the pile of sand. "If we beat Xehanort, that guy will be alright."

As the door opened they all looked inside. A staircase of gray stone lowered down into the darkness. Brim grit his teeth and hissed. "Um, we have to go down there?"

"Yep."

"Don't be a pansy." Brim's sister flipped her hair with a slight laugh. Her hand lit up with fire to form a torch.

Glacies held up her hand. "Don't be hasty. Are we all certain that we're ready to face him?" She looked around to see everyone nodding. "Alright, then let's go." Cautiously, with Blaze in the lead, the group walked down the stairs. Soon the stairs led down in a large chamber made of shining black rock.

"What kind of place is this?"

"It's a tomb." A deep, raspy voice spoke from the opening opposite them. Xehanort himself stepped into the room, eyes glowing gold and a sinister grin decorated his face. "And so, you have arrived. I have been waiting."

"TIME TO DIE CREEP!" Patria wasted no time and charged the old man.

Xehanort merely warped across the room. "You really are reckless and so dark in heart and soul. No wonder your father sees you as a disappointment."

"Ha, you really are a liar." The older twin laughed. "If there's one thing I know beyond the shadow of a doubt is that my Dad loves me no matter what I do."

"We shall see." Xehanort warped again, back down the hall.

Yuyake rolled his shoulder. "Let's go find our parents." He smiled as Hikari held his hand tightly. "Don't worry. We're almost done."

"Ok…"

Together, they walked down the hallway, wary of any ambush that might lay before them. None came. Down the hall, a larger chamber, still made of the black rock. In this chamber, directly to their right stood thirteen black pods, though the front glass the children could see all 13 guardians of light inside them, faces a mask of pain.

"MOM! DAD!" Each one of them ran to the pod or pods which held their parents.

Ryô tore at the pod holding his mother, but it refused to open. "Come on…! Why won't you open!?"

"They only open for me." Across the room, Xehanort sat on a throne of black crystal. "If you want them to open, you will have to defeat me."

"Fine then!" Everyone summoned their weapons.

"If our parents beat you, we can too!"

The old man stood up, not summoning his Keyblade, but a blade of darkness instead. "You may try."

In one moment, the group charged. Ryô glanced over at the oldest in the group. "Glace, use that spell again!"

"If you think I will allow her to use Law, you are sorely mistaken." Xehanort warped around, darkness engulfing the entire room. As he came by, he caught Glacies' arm. A dark mark appeared. "I know the magic of that world well. And I know a certain item that can block their magic: Bane Particles."

The Keyblade master swung around, slicing at him. He blocked. "I don't need that spell to take care of you. We're working together and we'll take you down."

Xehanort merely chuckled as he turned, blocking a wave of fire from Blaze. "Is this all you are capable of?"

"Not at all!" Yuyake slid between his two friend's attacks, using his Keyblades to cushion his slide. He pushed himself up, kicking Xehanort in the jaw.

The dark keybearer flew into the air. Brimstone brushed the Dust on his coat, sending swirls of flame into the air. Xehanort blocked them, but as he did, Hikari jumped up from behind. She used what little muscles she had to hit the man in the back.

Justin and Xally used the Force to send their Keyblades after the elder Keyblade master. Their blades sliced at him time and time again.

Now, Patria slipped in, stabbing the old man over and over with the sharp rapier-like tip of her sword. "If you lose enough blood, you'll eventually stop!"

"Little devil!" He grabbed Patria's face, slamming her into a wall, only for her to grab his face too. Twisting her hand, she dug her fingernails into his skin.

Pith slammed the hilt of his Keyblade into Xehanort's cheek, sending him flying. "Take that, you freak!"

Ropes of fire wrapped around the old Keyblade master's legs, swinging him around the room. When she release him and he crashed through his throne, Xehanort spoke, in a whisper meant for only himself. "Why? Where did my power go? Why are you not letting me win?"

His eyes turned from golden to total blackness. A deeper, younger, and more frightening whisper came. "I have grown bored with you. Do your job or die. I have seen and found a better vessel than you. Do what I asked, and I will free you."

The children all stared at him. "What is going on?"

"Xehanort isn't in control?"

"Who cares!" Patria, taking advantage of the fallen state of Xehanort, charged in. She slammed her Keyblade into his gut. "YOU'RE DONE!" Blood spewed out from the wound and Xehanort choked.

"Patria!?"

The girl turned around. "It's done. Thank me later." The red-head grinned and pointed behind them. "Look."

They all turned. The pods began to open. Steam rose from the cracks as the doors opened. Each child ran to their parents, catching them as they fell out of the open pods.

Glacies, Justin, and Xally caught Terra and Aqua. The oldest hugged her father. "Dad…" His eyes slowly opened, much to her joy. "You're alright!"

"G-Glacies… is it you?" Terra reached out, touching his child's face as tears flowed from his eyes. "Y-you're not under Xehanort's control?"

"Of course not. I'm here." Terra stared at her for a moment before hugging her tightly. "Daddy…"

Aqua looked down at Justin and Xally, who hugged her. She gasped, "No, not another dream… please, make them stop."

"Mom! It's us."

"We're here, Master!"

It took her a moment, but Aqua's eyes lit up with true joy. "My babies!" She pulled them close, crying with them.

Riku blinked at the sight of Hikari. "K-Kari…?"

"Daddy!"

"You're alive?"

"Of course!" The little girl laughed out of pure joy. "I came to rescue you, Daddy!"

Her father couldn't believe it for a moment, but he could soon sense the true light in her. "It is you… Kari…"

Naminé and Ventus smiled at the sight of their son. The woman let out a sigh. "I knew you'd come."

"You're alive, son."

"Mom, Dad, you're alright." The boy laughed, his face glowing with joy and light.

"I'm glad you're here."

"We both are."

Roxas and Xion gaped at the sight of each other and their child. Yuyake didn't give them a chance to speak before he threw his arms around them. "Mom! Dad!"

"Yuyake!?" Though it took nearly a full minute, the two realized that this was not a dream but reality. "You're alive!"

"You're free," their son sighed happily. "You're back."

Lea felt two sets of arms wrap around him. His eyes opened, to see his two children. "Blaze… Brim…"

"Dad!"

"Kids… you're alive?"

Brim laughed. "We should be asking you that!"

"No kidding!" Blaze tightened her grip on Lea. "We were scared for you, Daddy."

Their father sat still for a moment before smiling and leaning into the embrace of his children. "I've missed you…"

"We missed you too."

Sora opened his eyes to see Kairi beside him. "Kairi?"

"Sora?" she opened her eyes. But they were not lying on the ground, but leaning on someone. The couple looked up into the eyes of their children. "Pith…? Patria…?"

"Hi, Mom." Pith held her close.

Sora did his best to sit up, smiling at his daughter. "Patria, you're here? You're both here? You're both safe."

"Of course!" She grinned widely. "Did you really think Pith and I were going to sit on the sidelines? We had to come help you and Mom."

"But, fighting Xehanort?" Kairi gasped.

Pith nodded. "Been there, done that." The parents stared at the smiling faces of their children; the twins had grown so much. They were now, young warriors.

"Fools…" A light whisper traveled across the room. Most did not hear it, but Patria and Pith did.

The twins turned around. Xehanort had managed to get to his feet, clutching the wound from Patria. Sora saw him stand. "He's still alive?"

"Don't worry, Dad." The twins leaned their parents against the pods, as they were too weak to stand. "We'll take care of this."

"Kids… no!"

The twins summoned their Keyblades, drawing the attention of everyone else. "This won't take long." Patria and Pith charged, Keyblades ready to strike.

"NO! WAIT!"

Xehanort's face split into a sickly grin. "You're mine!"

As the twins leapt for the strike, two tendrils of darkness spewed from the ground. The two warriors had no time to react as they were impaled.

"NOOOOOOO!"

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**Just, please review!**

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**In the next few chapters, I'll be doing special devos based on the sermon series my pastor is doing. It's called "The Bible Doesn't Say That". I'm literally using his sermons for these devos.**

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**The Bible Doesn't Say That: The Lord Helps Those Who Help Themselves**

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Today people have this idea that we are the center of everything. If something has to be done, we should be the ones to do it. Everyone should take care of themselves first before taking care of others.

Both Christians and non-Christians do this, not all of them but a good number of them.

People love to make plans that focus only around ourselves and then ask God to bless it afterwards, even if it is something that is outside of God's plan or even if it is. Our decisions should not be based solely on what WE want.

Everything is not about ME, MYSELF, and I. We worry about OUR stuff. We want our money, our food, our clothes. And so often, we worry about our stuff and forget about God and what He wants.

In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus says, "_Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?_ _And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?_ _And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, __yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. __But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?_ _Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'_ _For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. __But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you._"

This is basically the opposite of "God helps those who help themselves"; this saying isn't even Christian; it became famous when Benjamin Franklin published in his "Farmer's Almanac".

In the scripture above, it covers things that we want and need in life. And many times we worry about these things. God really is asking, "Why?"

God will provide. He will meet the needs. Here's the gist of it, if you pursue God, your needs are met, if you pursue your needs it seems like they're not really met.

For example: if you pursue money, you never seem to have enough.

My pastor lives on barely enough to pay his bills and food, but somehow, every time, when he needs it most, the money shows up. And it is hard when money deadlines spring up and God is telling you to wait.

Christians, your relationship with God needs to be your top priority, or else you're going to have trouble.

Now people will say that God is their top priority, but really if you look at what they spend their time doing and spend their money on, you can see what their real priorities are.

And I will be honest with you. As I am writing this, I really am realizing that I myself need to work on making God my number one priority.

Sometimes we can think that He is the top priority, we can fool our minds into that, but if we step back and really look at what we are really pursuing, then we see the truth.

How much time do you spend with God? How much time do you spend reading your bible? How much time do you spend praying?

If you want to make something a priority, you have to not only remember it, but you have to work at doing it. Set an alarm to remember, if you have to.

And again, I am telling you this and telling it to myself as well. I need to work on this myself. I admit, I am not perfect and I struggle too. And so, we can take this journey together to make God top priority in our lives.


	37. Chapter 36: The End

**Ladies and gentlemen! **

**This is the last chapter before the epilogues!**

**I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**OCs (c) to me!**

**Sasuke (c) to Yamichaos!**

* * *

**Chapter 36: The End**

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Sora and Kairi stared at their children, who lay impaled on the ends of the dark tendrils, tears in their eyes. "Pith! Patria!"

Xehanort laughed. "Even though you beat me… I won in the end."

"No…" Sora clenched his fists as he began shaking with pure rage. "Y-you monster! They did not deserve this!"

"I do not care. You are suffering and that's what ma-" suddenly Xehanort convulsed as dark matter began steaming from his body.

The air shook as the same dark voice that had come from Xehanort spoke again. "YOU FOOL! I GAVE YOU ONE TASK! ONE TASK AND I WOULD LET YOU LIVE! YOU FAILED ME!"

Everyone stood frozen, except for Sora and Kairi, who struggled in their weakened state, to try and stand and reach their children. But, even they couldn't help but stare as Xehanort began to disintegrate into black dust. Riku hid Hikari's face from the grisly sight.

After a moment, the old man became a pile of black dust on the floor. The tendrils through Patria and Pith disappeared as well, causing the twins to fall to the floor.

Sora and Kairi managed to lunge forward, catching their children.

Kairi cradled her son's limp body, touching his face gently, which lay frozen in a mask of shock and terror. Her eyes drifted over to Patria, laying in Sora's arms; the girl's face was the same as her twins: shocked and horrified. The mother's entire body began to tremble as the tears flowed down her face. "N-no… not again… not my babies… I-I can't… I can't lose another one… I CAN'T LOSE THEM…!" Hugging his body to her, she cried out, screaming from the agony in her heart.

Sora's tears fell onto Patria's face. "Not my kids… w-we've already lost one… we can't lose you too!" He reached out for Pith's hand as he clung to Patria with the other. "I WON'T LET THIS HAPPEN! YOU CAN'T TAKE MY KIDS FROM M-M-m… me…"

"This can't be happening…" Everyone else stared in utter horror of what had occurred. They'd almost forgotten about what happened to Xehanort as the reality of what lay before them set in. Tears began flowing from every eye.

"Daddy…" Hikari clung to Riku, crying into his shoulder. Her dad hugged her close, his own tears forming. They'd all just been reunited, awakened from the artificial horrors Xehanort exposed them to… awakened, only to face a horror that was all too real.

* * *

_Patria floated in darkness; she could feel it all around. Her grip on light and life was slowly slipping away._

_"Poor child… waiting for death to consume…"_

_The girl recognized that voice! It was the one who spoke through Xehanort, but it was clearer, as if speaking into her own mind. "Who are you? What do you want?"_

_"Never mind who I am, that will come later." The voice chuckled. "Do you know what is happening? …I take it from your silence that you don't. You and your brother are dying, nearly at death's door. I have stopped this from happening, so that I may speak to you."_

_"About?"_

_"Your darkness…" the voice seemed calm. "If you will allow me inside, I will help you control it… and I will bring you and your brother back."_

_"Screw you!" Patria snarled; she wanted nothing to do with whoever this is. But, to save her and her twin… "Actually… if I agree, will you come in now, or can I wait and try something else first and see if I need you?"_

_The voice remained silent, as if thinking. "Very well, I am a patient man. However, if this is your choice, understand that I will try and convince you to let me in, and you may find my methods… unconventional."_

_"Meaning you'll cause trouble like you did with Xehanort?"_

_"Perhaps…"_

_Patria mulled the thought over in her mind. "Fine. I'm not worried. We beat Xehanort so we can beat whatever else you throw at us."_

_"We shall see…" The voice chuckled again, making Patria very uncomfortable and causing her to second-guess her decision, but what's done is done. "Now, a deal's a deal. Goodbye Patria. We shall see each other again, very soon…" The voice faded away and Patria now saw light rushing towards her._

* * *

"Sora… Kairi…" Mickey's ears drooped at the sight. "I-I'm so sorry…" Donald and Goofy looked at one another before looking back at the couple, who didn't reply. The two were in their own world, clutching their children's dead bodies.

Sora sat clutching Patria when he suddenly felt her moving; Kairi felt the same thing with Pith. The two parents pulled back and watched as their children moved and their eyes began to blink. "No way…"

Pith spoke first, his voice slightly raspy. "Mom…?"

"PITH!" Kairi hugged him, tightly.

"M-mom… can't breathe…!"

"They're alive!?"

Sora smiled brightly at his son and at Patria as she sat up. "Tria… you're alive…"

"Yeah… no thanks to Xehanort… gosh, I wanna kick his sorry butt!"

"I bet you do!" Sora laughed and hugged her, kissing her forehead. "… I love you sweetheart… I love both of you, and I'm so happy you're ok."

"Me too, Dad." The older twin let a happy grin slip by her defenses and brighten her face.

"They're alright!" Everyone else came over, surrounding the twins. "What happened!?"

Pith shrugged as he sat up. "No idea. I was surrounded by blackness and then I woke up. Tria, was it the same for you?"

"Yeah, it was." The girl lied. She was not about to tell them about the deal she just made with whoever that was, but it got her and Pith back, so it couldn't have been that bad.

Sora pulled Pith and Kairi to him, into a group hug. "I really don't care how it happened. You're safe and that's what matters."

"Yes," Kairi agreed. "Now, I think, we're all ready to go home."

"Agreed!"

* * *

Everyone sat in the gummi ship as Brim set the autopilot to take them home. The kids were excitedly telling their parents about almost everything that had happened in their adventure.

"And then, we went into this computer game and…"

Riku laughed. "Slow down, Kari. We have all the time in the world to hear the story."

While everyone was laughing, Glacies took her parents aside. Terra could tell something was wrong immediately. "Glace, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Dad, it-it's about our family…" slowly, and delicately, Glacies told them all of what happened on Hazy Hamlet, including the fate of Terra's parents and brother-in-law.

"No…"

"I'm sorry, Dad…"

Her father shook his head. "You don't have to be sorry… and, you said Braig got away?" She nodded. "I see… we'll find him sweetie, and he will be brought to justice for what he did, not only to our family, but to everyone on that world. And Glace, thank you for telling me…"

The young Keyblade master could see that her parents were holding back their anger and sorrow until they reached their home, where they could properly grieve alone. She could not blame them. She would have to wait to tell them about agreeing to be the protector of Hazy Hamlet; this was not a good time for that.

As they went back to the others, Ven stood up. "I hope you don't mind, but Xehanort forced Vanitas back into me and he is very annoyed and wants out right now."

"We don't care, Dad."

Ven nodded and closed his eyes. Little particles of light came off his body and formed a shape next to him, which quickly turned into Vanitas. The dark man looked around. "Hi…"

"Hi Godfather!" Ryô grinned.

Vanitas looked at him. "So, you're still alive? Looks like you took my training to heart."

"I'll never forget it. How can I forget the bruises I got from it?"

"True…"

Naminé looked at her husband's dark side. "What did you do in this training?"

"Beat some sense into your son. You can thank me later."

Ven coughed to diffuse the situation. "Sooo… Vanitas, is there anywhere we can drop you off?"

"Yeah, but I need to go pick some stuff up from the world I've been living on."

"Which is?"

"Hazy Hamlet," Vanitas huffed. "I'm tired of that world. I'm going to grab some things and then you can drop me off at Traverse Town."

Brim nodded. "I'll take us back to Hazy Hamlet." He turned the ship around and they soon reached the world. "We're here."

"I won't be long…" Vanitas went into the back of the ship and then down to the world. Everyone talked about the adventure some more while they waited for him to return. Soon, Vanitas came back. "Ok, can we get to Traverse Town now?"

"Rude much?"

The man rolled his eyes. "If I know you guys, you're heading back to Radiant Garden for a little pow-wow before you go home, and I want nothing to do with it. Just drop me off and I'll be out of your hair."

"Fine then." Brim turned the ship towards the small world.

Vanitas plopped down in a chair, ignoring the annoyed glances he got.

The flight continued as it had, until Aqua suddenly looked up. "Oh, looks like we might have picked up a hitch-hiker."

Everyone turned to the door leading to the back of the ship. The door hung open slightly, and behind it stood a little girl. As everyone looked her way, the girl gasped and closed the door. Kairi stood up and opened the door. "It's alright, little one, we won't hurt you. Come on out."

Slowly, the girl came out, looking down at the ground, her face hidden by waves of black hair. She looked to be about eight years old and wore a purple dress with white frills and an apron. Aqua smiled at her. "Hello, there. How'd you get on our ship?"

The girl didn't answer.

"Don't be scared." Glacies comforted. "We won't be mad."

The child still didn't answer, but she looked up. Everyone gaped at her eyes: bright gold, like Xehanort's. She looked around the room, before her eyes landed on Vanitas. Her voice came out, quiet and timid. "P-papa, what do I do?"

"PAPA!?" All eyes turned on Vanitas. Then it clicked. The girl looked almost exactly like him: black hair and golden eyes.

Vanitas sighed. "Just… go back to your mother."

"Yes, Papa." The girl nodded and quickly scampered back out the door, closing it behind her.

Now, Vanitas could feel the stares on him. "I'm not telling you anything, so don't ask."

"Vanitas, you're a dad…"

The man didn't answer. No one spoke until a gentle voice chuckled. "Yes, he is a father, and a husband." Everyone turned back to the door. The girl stood there, with a woman behind her. The woman had wavy hair which was a pale blue, nearly white. "Actually, Vanitas is my husband."

"Alya?" Terra smiled. "It has been a while."

"Yes it has, Terra." Alya smiled before walking over to her husband. "I'm sorry, darling. I wanted to meet everyone."

Vanitas let out a huff. "I know… Well, secret's out. Guys this is my wife, Alya, and my daughter, Vanette."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." The two women curtsied before Alya sat beside her husband and Vanette sat by his feet.

"Well, Vanitas. I'm glad you're living happily." Sora grinned.

"Whatever…"

Alya glared at him. "Don't be so rude."

"Sorry, dear."

No one said anything else to Vanitas; his pride was already shattered quite well. They carried on with their earlier conversations, but everyone continued to glance over at Vanitas and Alya who conversed quietly, and their daughter, who sat, playing with a Flood Unversed. Everyone was curious about this family, but they knew Vanitas well enough to not ask questions, lest he get angry.

When Brim announced that they'd reached Traverse Town, Vanitas was all too happy to leave. His family however… "Mama, Papa… I'm scared."

"Don't worry, Nettie," Vanitas patted her head. "This world is safe. I'm sure you'll like it here."

"Alright, Papa."

Ven smiled warmly. "You sure you don't want any help unloading your stuff?"

"What stuff," his dark side huffed. "All we brought were a few sets of clothes and some munny." With that, he left.

"I am sorry about his temper. But it was nice to meet you all." Alya gave a curtsy and followed after her husband, their daughter in tow.

"That was amazing. Vanitas has a family of his own." Naminé giggled. "His wife is beautiful."

"His daughter is so cute!"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, she was. Now, why don't we get to Radiant Garden?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

The gummi ship landed in the hanger. Ansem and Sasuke stood there, looking very angry. "Patria is going to be in so much trouble! They all are!

As the door opened, the two prepared to yell at the children. But the first one out was not one of the children, but Kairi.

"KAIRI!" Ansem and Sasuke, ran to her, hugging the woman. All the other parents came out first. They all smiled and hugged. Ienzo and Even arrived too, happy to see the others.

"You're alright!"

"They found you… the kids really found you!"

Patria grinned. "Yep! We kicked butt!"

"You… you did good." Sasuke admitted.

Ienzo left and soon came back, with Sera and Ignis. Sera noticed the group first. "Lea!" She ran to her husband, tackling him in a hug.

"Hey sweetie!" The pyro kissed her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too…"

Ignis squealed at the sight of his mom and dad. "MOMMY! DADDY!"

"Ignis!" Terra and Aqua ran forward, hugging their toddler. "Oh, baby!"

The other kids stood back, watching the reunions. Glacies grinned. "Guys… We did it."

"Yeah… we did."

* * *

**Thank you all for sticking with me through this.**

**Please stick around for the epilogues.**

**Please Review!**

* * *

_VA:_

_Alya: Monical Rial (Bulma, Kaede Kayano, Mirajane Strauss)_

_Vanette: Leah Clark (Mavis Vermillion, Yukiko Kanzaki)_

* * *

**The Bible Doesn't Say that God Promised Us Financial Wealth**

Sometimes, we hear preachers (not all, but there are a good many) who say that if you give a certain amount of money, you'll get it back and then some. We get this idea that we should be receiving wealth if we are a Christian. That is not what God promised.

If this was true, then you would think that the people who served God at the risk of their own lives, or the people who wrote the bible, would be wealthy beyond belief. But Paul, who wrote 1/3 of the New Testament was anything but. In Philippians 4:10-20 Paul writes, "**_0 _**_I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. __**11 **__Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. __**12 **__I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. __**13 **__I can do all things through him who strengthens me._

**_14 _**_Yet it was kind of you to share__[__f__]__ my trouble. __**15 **__And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. __**16 **__Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. __**17 **__Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.__[__g__]__**18 **__I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.__**19 **__And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. __**20 **__To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen."_

Does that sound like someone rolling in dough? Paul says he was content in his situation… look at his situation, would you be content? 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, "**_16 _**_I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. __**17 **__What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would__[__a__]__ but as a fool. __**18 **__Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. __**19 **__For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! __**20 **__For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. __**21 **__To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!_

_But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. __**22 **__Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. __**23 **__Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. __**24 **__Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. __**25 **__Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; __**26 **__on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; __**27 **__in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,__[__b__]__ in cold and exposure. __**28 **__And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. __**29 **__Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?_

**_30 _**_If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.__**31 **__The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. __**32 **__At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, __**33 **__but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands._"

Does he sound like he has money? Does he sound like he has an easy life? No! But he was content, he had peace, he had joy. Oh, and did I mention that Paul wrote this IN PRISON, when he was AWAITING EXECUTION.

If Paul can be content in that situation, why can't we be content in what we have. Our society has a focus on money. We are always careful with our money, making sure that we have enough for food, clothes, and to live… we do need those things. God knows this. So, we don't have to be anxious about those things.

Jesus addressed this in Matthew 6:25-34, "**_25_**_"__Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?_**_26_**_Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?_**_27_**_And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?_**_g_****_28_**_And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,_**_29_**_yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these._**_30_**_But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?_**_31_**_Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'_**_32_**_For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all._**_33_**_But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you._

**_34_**_"__Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble._"

Now, the Bible does say that "give and you shall receive", but there is a heart to it. When we give, we cannot let money be our idol. Jesus said that we can't serve both God and money. Now, we can have money, I am not saying that rich people are evil or not going to heaven. It is what they are pursuing.

If you give money at church in order to get money, who are you serving? God or money?


	38. Chapter 37: Petra Epilogue

**Here's the first epilogue!**

**I'll be adding theme songs for each character. The music titles will be posted up here if you want to look them up, and they will be cued in the story.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**OCs (c) to me!**

**Hinata Kazekiri (c) to Yamichaos27!**

* * *

**_Theme songs:_**

**_Ignis (child theme):_**_ Innocent Times (BBS)_

**_Justin: _**_Star Wars: Fan-made Force Theme (乇乂ㄒ尺卂 ㄒ卄丨匚匚_)

**_Xally: _**_Celtic Music- Guardians of the Woods (BrunuhVille)_

**_Glacies: _**_Gemstones- Here Comes a Thought- A Steven Univers Orchestration (Rush Garcia)_

* * *

**Chapter 37: Petra Epilogue**

* * *

Aqua looked up as her four children came into the main hall. "There you are. I thought I was going to have to wake you up myself, especially you, Glacies."

"Sorry, Mom." The older girl smiled.

Her mother smiled back. "Alright, you three, go find your father. He's in the kitchen making breakfast. Glacies and I need to talk."

"Yes, Mom." The three dashed off.

Glacies and Aqua walked outside to the courtyard. "Mom, I know what you want to talk about…"

"I expressly forbid you from learning Law. And now I find out that you trained in it all on your own and used it."

"I know," the girl admitted. "I just thought it would be a good spell to learn, just in case. It worked too, but I know it could have hurt me."

"You're lucky to have used that spell unscathed." Aqua sighed. "Please, never use it again."

"I promise, Mom."

"Good, now let's go pack the rest of your stuff. You have to move to Hazy Hamlet today." The two walked back inside.

Glacies looked at the pile of boxes near the door; today was the day she became the guardian of Hazy Hamlet. Her parents were extremely proud of her in that regard, but not ready to see their little girl leave home.

The two went into the kitchen where everyone was eating cinnamon rolls. They sat down and began to eat. Justin spoke up first. "What time are you going to Hazy Hamlet?"

"Sometime before lunch," she smiled.

"You goin' some'ere?"

Glacies sighed. She'd been dreading telling him the full truth. "Ignis, I-I'm moving out. I'm going away."

"WHAT!?" Her toddler brother began to tear up.

"Ignis, please don't cry…" Aqua soothed. "She'll come visit us."

"I don' wan' her to visit! I don' wan' her to go!"

As the toddler began to cry, Glacies walked over and picked him up, hugging him close. "I'm sorry, Ignis. Don't worry, I'll be back. I'm growing up; I've got to go. I'm going to go help people on another world. It's my job." The boy didn't say anything but just clung to his sister's shirt, still sobbing. "I'm sorry, Ignis."

* * *

The little boy still sobbed, but Xally and Justin attempted to calm him. Terra and Aqua had just finished helping Glacies load her stuff into a gummi ship which Ansem the Wise gave to her.

She'd already said her goodbyes to Justin, Xally, and Ignis. Aqua hugged her daughter, tearing up slightly. "Be careful, honey. Take care of yourself and everyone on that world. If you need anything, just let us know. And we are SO proud of you!"

"I love you Mom!"

Aqua wiped her eyes and left before she cried anymore. Terra hugged Glacies. "Sweetheart, before you go, I have something to tell you."

"What is it, Dad?"

"Glacies," he sat her down on a bench. "I knew… I knew about your fear of Pete. I knew that you hadn't gotten over this when your mother and I made you master. We both knew."

The girl stared at him. "Then, why did you make me a master?"

"You were ready. We knew you could conquer that fear; you just needed the chance. You needed to face Pete and have a reason to overcome your fear. Making you a master gave you that reason. I did not think the actual situation would involve your brother getting kidnapped, but you are both alright and that's what matters." He placed a hand on her cheek, softly. "I'm so proud of you. You're growing into the strong young warrior we knew you would become. I'm happy that you were chosen to take on this task. You'll be a great guardian; you have a strong heart and a gentle soul." He kissed her forehead. "Now, go on and be the best you can be. We love you, honey."

Glacies had been trying all day to keep her emotions in check, but now the tears spilled forth as she wrapped her arms around her father's neck. "I'll be the greatest guardian ever! I love you Daddy…!"

"I love you too, Glacies…"

* * *

"Oh, it'll be alright, Ignis." Aqua bounced her son in her arms. "If Mommy can handle Glacies leaving, you can too."

The oldest girl hadn't been gone ten minutes before Ignis threw and all-out temper tantrum. "I WAN' MY SIS'ER!"

Terra sighed and looked at a clock. Good, they would be here any minute. "Ignis, I know what will make you feel better. How about spending the day with a friend?" The boy didn't answer, only sulked. Just then, a knock sounded on the door. "Oh, thank goodness!" The man ran to the door and threw it open. "Hi there! Thanks for coming."

"Thank you for inviting us." Rydia Kazekiri stepped inside, holding her and Sasuke's youngest daughter, Hinata.

"I'm so glad you could come. He is inconsolable."

"I think we can fix that." Rydia set Hinata down.

**(Cue Ignis' theme)**The little girl tottered over to Aqua, staring up at the little boy. "Ignis!"

He looked down at her and his eyes lit up. "Hinata!" He nearly fell out of his mother's arms trying to get down; when his mother set him down, he hugged the little girl. "Why a'e you 'ere?"

"Mommy said we're gonna go swim."

"Swim?" The toddler looked up at his mom. "A'e we gonna go to the pond?"

"Yes we are," Aqua patted his head. "Justin, Xally, go upstairs and put on your swimsuits, and Justin, help Ignis into his."

The boy nodded. "Yes, Master." The three bolted upstairs.

* * *

"There it is!" Xally ran forward, cannonballing into the flat pond which filled up a clearing below the castle. Ignis and Hinata ran down to the water after her.

"Hinata! Be careful!"

"Ignis! Don't go in too deep!" Both mothers darted after their children, making sure the two little ones didn't go in too deep. **(End Ignis' theme)**

Terra chuckled, but paused as he saw Justin walking away, up a nearby hill. The boy had always been solitary, never wanting to really interact or play. When they would come here, he would go away and meditate alone. Today, the older man followed him.

The hill the boy chose to sit on and meditate, was one they all knew. At the top, lay the gravestone of Master Eraqus. On the left side lay two stone monuments, to mark the passing of Rebecca and John Maris, Aqua's parents; they had been too poor for anyone to give them proper graves, so this marked their death. On the right side of the gravestone stood four new monuments for Archer Petra, Drusilla Petra, Tamara Petra, and Henry Auxili.

**(Cue Justin's theme)**Justin sat in front of these, legs folded and arms resting on his knees. He didn't stir as Terra came and sat beside him. "What are you thinking about, Justin?"

"Everything… and nothing."

"Don't give me the 'good Jedi' answer," his master sighed. "Tell me the truth."

The boy let out a long breath. "I'm trying to let go. I-I made an attachment to your family and I have to let it go…"

To someone else this might have sounded heartless, but Terra knew better. "Why? Because it hurts?" the boy didn't respond. "I know it hurts. But you can't hide those feelings away. You have to face them. I know it's not something the Code would agree with, but sometimes you just need to trust your heart."

"Master… I-I have something to admit." Justin turned, looking over at Terra. "I hate the Code. I hate what it prevents me from doing. I see all that you and Master Aqua have: the joy, the family, the love… and I can't have that."

"Why not?"

"Since Xally is no longer following the Code, I may be the only Jedi left. I refuse to let this order, which has stood for centuries, die with me."

His master gave a small nod. "That makes sense, but why not change it then. If you really are the last one, share your knowledge with those to come: attachments are not evil, love is good, and family can make you strong."

"You're right…" Justin smiled, but it faded. "I saw what clinging to the Code can do. And I will probably pay for it."

"What?"

The boy sighed. "I tried to force Xally to adhere to the Code when she got a crush on some guy. I challenged him to a fight; if he won, then I would leave Xally alone about the Code, but if I won, the boy would never speak to her again… I lost. The thing is, I wasn't the one who came up with that idea… it was Hades. And now he says I owe him."

"Hades," Terra mused. "That was a stupid move."

"I know."

"Well, we'll just have to deal with it when it comes time. Nothing we can do now." The master's eyes lifted to the sky. "But, you know you have your family with you… right, son?" Justin had never been comfortable being called 'son', but this time he didn't say anything against it.

Justin closed his eyes. "I know… I know I can count on all of you."

They sat in silence before Terra stood up. "Well, I'll leave you alone, but you can always come join us and have a little fun."

"Maybe later," the boy returned to his meditating position. "Thanks… Father."

Terra froze. Father. Justin had never called him that before, and probably never would again. It made the man smile. While the boy would never show his feelings outwardly, the love he felt for his family showed through in that single word. **(End Justin's theme)**

* * *

**(Cue Xally's theme)**"HE TOLD YOU!?" Xally covered her red face with her hands. "I can't believe it!"

Terra laughed. "So, who is this boy you have a crush on?"

"Oh…" the girl fingered the pendant around her neck. "His name is Creontiades, Creon for short. He's the youngest son of Hercules and Meg."

"Really?" Aqua gave a bright smile. "I assume he gave you that pendant?" The girl nodded. "Terra, we may need to make a trip to Olympus Coliseum soon."

"Definitely. We need to meet this boy."

Xally clenched her fists and dove under the water, only allowing her eyes and nose to stick above the surface. "Don't be embarrassed, Xal. It's ok to have a crush."

"We just need to meet him just in case this gets a little more serious in the future…" Terra crossed his arms. "And so I can scare him."

"Dad!"

"What it's my job?"

"Yeah it is," they all looked and saw Justin coming back towards them.

Xally jumped up, pointing. "SNITCH!" The boy shrugged. "Don't you shrug at me! You don't even have a crush! And I bet it's not because of the Code! I think you're just scared of women!"

"I am not," Justin defended. "Only grown men are scared of women."

"Excuse me!?" Terra gave the boy an annoyed glare, only to turn to his wife as Aqua fell over in stitches. "It's not that funny!"

"Yes it is!"

Rydia and Xally laughed too, and Justin cracked a smile. The two little kids laughed, though they didn't understand. Only Terra stood there, unhappy. "It's really not that funny."

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss, Dad!"

"It was just a joke."

"I'll show you a joke!" Terra grabbed Justin and flung him into the pond. The boy came up sputtering. "Now that was funny." Justin gave him a deadpan look before using the Force to launch a wave of water onto his master. The older man blinked as water dripped off him before a wide grin appeared on his face. "Oh, so that's how you want to play?" He dove in, and so began a splash war.

The laughter and joy filled the forest and brightened seemed to even brighten up the day itself. **(End Xally's theme)**

* * *

**(Cue Glacies' theme)**As Glacies landed on Hazy Hamlet, she found herself standing before a crowd of people who all cheered her arrival. Her cousin stood to the side, dressed in fancy clothes. He smiled, "Hello, Glace."

"Hello, what's all this?"

"The people just wanted to greet their new guardian." The cousins walked away from the crowd, and down the street. "I wanted to let you know, I was voted into power last week. I'm the new king, though I don't have the same power as the old one had. We have a parliament and I share power with them."

"That's wonderful, Anthony."

They came to a large house, near to the castle, surrounded by flowers. "Glacies, this is your home."

"B-but it's so big! I don't need one this large." The Keyblade master shook her head.

"The people wanted you to have it. Now, let me introduce you to the house staff, and don't worry, they are being payed and very well too." Going inside, they stood in a grand entryway where a line of people stood. "Glacies, this is your maid, Janine."

"My lady," the woman curtsied.

"Your chef, Dalibor." The man bowed. "Your stable-boy, Pehr, and your gardener, Terrance."

Terrance caught the girl's eye. He was a Tech Elf with blue skin, black darker blue hair, gray eyes, but one of his ears was roughly cut shorter than the other. Glacies smiled. "It's nice to meet you. If you ever need help with anything just let me know. I'm not above helping with chores and such."

They all bowed as Anthony led the girl upstairs. "They all asked for these positions. They want to repay you for all you've done and all you will do."

"I see, but what of Terrance? I thought the king and queen of Tech Town sent ships to recover their people."

"They did," Her cousin admitted, "but Terrance was one of many who chose to stay. Many who fought in the rebellion decided to stay and join the guard. My dear Iola and I got married and so she is staying. Terrance decided to stay and his reason was, 'I've seen this world at its worst, now I want to stay and build it back up so I can see it at its best.'"

"That's a wonderful reason, actually." Glacies gave a bright smile. "I'm glad they're finding peace here and I'll do my best to help."

"Thank you, Glacies."

* * *

A few months had gone by and Glacies was settling in nicely. She'd help capture the remainder of the old guard and most of the remaining slavers.

She stepped out onto her balcony one morning, feeling the crisp morning air. It felt like a great day for an adventure. Strapping on her boots, she went down to the stables. Pehr stood there, holding the reigns of her creme-colored horse, a mare named Daisy. "Here you are, my lady. I thought you might want a ride this morning."

"Thank you, Pehr." Glacies mounted the horse and took off down the road. She rode into the forest, through the glades of orange and brown-leaved trees.

When she came to a pool in the middle of the woods she stopped. There, by the water sat Terrance. "Hello?"

"Hello." He looked over and smiled. "Out for a morning ride?"

"Yes, it seemed like the perfect morning for one." The girl got off her horse and tied its reigns to a tree branch. "What are you doing out here?"

The elf looked down at the water. "Fishing, and thinking." The girl now saw the fishing rod between his hands as she sat beside him. "So, do you like your new position?"

"It is still a little overwhelming, but I'm getting used to it." They sat in silence, with only the rustle of the trees and the sound of the horse tearing up grass to break the silence. "Why did you volunteer to work for me?"

This made the elf pause for a moment. "Well, I wanted to repay you. Because of your actions, and the actions of your friends, I was freed from slavery."

"I just did what any decent person would do." She looked over at his left ear, which had been cut short in a jagged fashion. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your ear?"

The elf shook his head. "I don't mind telling you. My master's son and I were friends and we planned an escape into the woods, but our plan was discovered. My friend was imprisoned and died. I was punished and my ear lopped."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright." He smiled. "I'm happy now."

"I'm glad, Terrance."

"Glacies, are you happy?"

The girl looked into his eyes and nodded. "Yes, I'm happy, probably the happiest I've been in a long time."

"That's wonderful." The elf pulled back in his fishing line. "Doesn't look like they're biting today. Oh well." The two stood up and Glacies went back to her horse, with Terrance following. "It was good to just talk with you."

"Indeed it was, Terrance."

The girl paused as she felt him take her hand. She looked over just in time to see him kiss it; her face went red as he pulled back, smiling. "See you soon, Glacies." With that, he turned and left through the trees.

Glacies rubbed the back of her hand, still blushing. But, she smiled. It made her happy, happier than she'd ever been. **(End Glacies' theme)**

* * *

**I hope you guys liked this!**

**Please Review!**

* * *

**The Bible Doesn't Say that Men are Superior to Women**

Let me say first off, no this is NOT a feminist devo, this was my pastor's Mother's Day sermon (and my pastor is a dude)!

Sometimes people use the bible to say that women shouldn't do this or men are superior, but it doesn't. To understand this we need to look at context. Many times, not just with biblical things, people take one little verse/phrase/point and quote it out of context, which gives a completely different meaning to the statement.

This is the same with the bible verses surrounding women. The context could include the text around it or even the historical/cultural setting of the location where the passage is being written to. If you ignore those you will find the wrong points. And this is the same for many other things in the Bible and outside the Bible.

There are three main parts to this:

Number one: It's all Eve's Fault

Have you heard that all of mankind's problems were Eve's fault? We know the story, the serpent tempts Eve, Eve eats the fruit, and then offers it to Adam. But, we miss the part in Genesis 3:6, "**_6 _**"

We get this mental picture of Eve and the serpent talking and then she goes to find Adam to offer him the fruit. He was standing there with her. He heard all of this too. And they didn't have television to distract him with a football game (it's a joke). Adam doesn't do anything in this situation until Eve offers him the fruit. He heard the snake and he also knew God's instructions regarding that specific tree; Eve knew that too.

In all honesty, it's both of their faults. Eve listened to the serpent and was deceived… but Adam was there too and he didn't say anything to try and stop her. And Adam does also blame her later when God is questioning them.

Number 2: Women submit to men

We hear this all the time and in some parts of society it is more prevalent. Some people (and I have seen this) think that a man can hit his wife because she's supposed to submit to him anyways, and so it's ok to "put her in her place" when she steps out of line. NO!

That specific phrase actually isn't in the bible.

The word submit is used in certain places: Submit to God, submit to your leaders/authority (government and church, and no that does not mean you have to like them, you just have to obey the laws they put in place and treat them with RESPECT.), submit to your masters (yes, this is talking about slavery, but slavery in that time wasn't like what we think. It was basically servanthood, the master didn't own a person as property, and it was only for a certain period of time. It was used to pay back debts and people were freed during a specific year scott-free.).

Look at CONTEXT!

Now it does say that wives should submit to their husbands, but that's all people quote. There is more to that verse. Colossians 3:18-19, "**_18 _**_Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. _**_19 _**_Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them._" How many times do we hear verse 18 quoted? What about 19? Some people use verse 18 to justify harming their wives when they ignore verse 19.

And women do have to love their husbands and not be harsh with them either!

There's also the verse in Ephesians which says "wives submit to your husbands", but the chapter is actually broken up in that part. People ignore the verse before as if it is talking about another topic. Ephesians 5:21, "**21 **_submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ._" Submitting to one another… now submitting does not mean ruling! It means serving others, and not like a servant, but out of kindness we serve each other! We submit to one another.

Number 3: Women should not speak in church or be in leadership

Again COOOOONNNNTEXT!

1 Corinthinans 14: 34-35, "**_34 _**_the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. _**_35 _**_If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church._"

Churches take this out of context all the time! This time, it is historical context!

In this situation, the church was in the city of Corinth, which had the Greek temple of Artemis in the city. This was the same church where Paul told the women to keep their heads covered. Why? Because the temple of Artemis used prostitutes in "worship" to the Greek goddess. Basically, Paul was telling them to set themselves apart from those women and not be like them.

Also, during that time period, men were the only ones educated in biblical studies. Men got the education while the women made clothes, cooked, etc. This was because they didn't have the tech and they had to divide up the duties. So, men went and got the education more than the women, now that doesn't mean it was fair, but that's just how it was in those times.

Corinth, being a Greek city, elevated the men in Greek terms. Men were seen a superior; if a Greek man (in that time period) was to walk into a church and see a woman speaking, he would be greatly offended.

In the church, the women sat separately from the men, and since they didn't have much education, they would shout across the church to their husbands to ask what something meant. And more than one woman would do that at a time.

This is very disruptive. That's why Paul told the women to keep silent. They could ask their husbands questions when they got home, so that they didn't cause chaos during church.

Now, again, this was not a feminist thing. This is a real thing that people use in life, and I'm trying to shed some light on it.


	39. Chapter 38: Fahrenheit Epilogue

**Here's the next epilogue!**

**Thanks to Yamichaos for creating the scene with Sasuke!**

**Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**X-Men (c) to Marvel!**

**OCs (c) to me!**

**Sasuke (c) to Yamichaos27!**

* * *

_**Theme songs:**_

_**Lea (since he doesn't have one): **__Hold on to You -Instrumental- (Nathan Sharp-NateWantsToBattle)_

_**Brimstone: **Zero no Tsukaima- OST 26~ Crisis_

_**Sera: **Mystery Music- Pirate Faries (Derek Fiechter)_

_**Blaze: **I Burn ~Orchestral Battle Arrange~ (Jeremiah George)_

* * *

**Chapter 38: Fahrenheit Epilogue **

* * *

**(Cue Lea's Theme)**Lea yawned and stretched his arms as he walked through the castle. It had been a few days since they'd all returned and things were just beginning to return to normal. When they'd returned, the one image he could never forget was his wife's face as she realized that he had returned.

Sera had missed him so much and he her. Even being away for an hour was hard; the torment that Xehanort had inflicted made things difficult for him and his kids. He'd seen them torn away from him over and over, it made him want to hold them closer than ever.

As he passed by the castle's training room, he heard the sounds of grunting, yells of fury, and metal against metal. He peaked inside to see Sasuke tearing the place to pieces.

When the swordsman paused to take a breather, the pyro spoke. "I think the training room gives up, man."

"Oh, Lea." Sasuke straightened up. "Didn't see you there."

"So, you mind telling me what's gotten you so upset?"

Sasuke's face contorted into anger. "Braig. After all these years he finally decided to show himself." He jabbed his sword into the ground out of frustration. "If just wasn't enough to try and make Master Kaname's family suffer from the shadows, but now I find out he tried to have Patria and Pith killed: Kaname's grandchildren, Kairi's children, MY GODCHILDREN. And even worse, he got away yet again! I swear that slimy excuse for a man has been deliberately screwing with me ever since my first time on Twin Moons!"

His anger was justified. Everyone was furious about Braig. Terra's family had been murdered by him. Justin, Xally, Hikari, and Yuyake were nearly executed by him. His family led an assassin group which set out to kill all of the kids. Then there was the issue of Pith… Braig's daughter had infiltrated the islands and befriended him. He'd fallen for her and that nearly got him killed.

Everyone wanted Braig's head on a platter by this point. "Yeah, I guess I can't really blame you. They've always been like family to you, and I know the rest of us want him captured and dealt with too."

"And Terra and Aqua… Braig had the audacity to kill dozens of people on their homeworld, including Terra's parents… Ignis' grandparents, whom he never met and now never will."

Lea sighed. "You really grew attached to that kid, didn't you?"

"Yeah," the captain nodded. "He kinda reminds me of myself when I was little, except he's more enthusiastic than I ever was. Plus, he gets along well with Hinata. And it just burns me up that Braig decided to mess with his family too. Then there's what he was going to do to Justin and Xally, as well as Yuyake and Hikari."

"Riku, Roxas, and Xion looked ready to kill Braig after they heard… but you shouldn't let Braig get to you. He won't get away with what he's done, I can promise you that."

Sasuke sat down on what was left of a bench. "Easier said than done, considering how much of a slippery snake he is."

"That may be true, but he can't run forever. You just let us Keyblade wielders worry about him. You've got your own duties to take care of, as a captain of the guard, as a husband, and as a father."

"I know…" The man leaned back against the wall. "Speaking of family, what are you doing here? I though you'd be at home with your wife and kids."

The pyro shrugged. "Well, the kids found Sera's homeworld and I'm here to ask Lord Ansem for a gummi ship so we can go visit."

"Oh, that sounds fun. Enjoy the trip."

"We will." **(End Lea's Theme)**

* * *

"This is very exciting, but also kinda scary." Sera sat, holding her husband's hand. "I don't remember anything about my home…"

"I'm sure things will be wonderful."

Sera sighed. "Are you sure Brim will be alright back home?"

"He insisted that you and Blaze come and that I come and meet the people who used to know you." He turned around to see Blaze twirling fire around her fingers.

The girl's powers, for the first time, were completely under her control. She would go into the town square and put on shows with her powers and the concerts that she, Brim, and Ryô were planning were going to have some insane pyrotechnics.

The cockpit dinged. "Oh, we're here."

"Let's go!"

* * *

**(Cue Brim's Theme)**"Brim, what are you doing?"

The young pyro looked up as Ivan Leonheart stood before him. "Just sewing. I went by a world called Remnant and got some of their special stuff called Dust." He held up a red shirt with one sleeve rolled up to reveal leopard print. "In the yellow spots I'm sewing lighting Dust and on the other sleeve, I'm sewing in fire Dust. It'll be awesome!"

"I didn't know you could sew." Rose strutted towards the two.

Ivan looked at the girl before coughing. "I'll be going…" He took off, leaving the two alone.

"How ya been, Rose?"

The girl twirled a lock of her pink hair. "I'm surprised I haven't seen much of you since you got back. You're usually following me around by now."

"You know, I actually wanted to talk to you about that." The boy patted the spot next to him; the girl sat down, genuinely curious as to what he wanted to say. "Look, you know I like you, but I can't tell if you like me back or are just playing hard to get. So, until we get this figured out between us, can we at least act like friends? And maybe one day, we can be a thing."

Rose giggled. "That's what this is about? I mean, sure, we can act like friends, but we're not getting together unless you clean up your act."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh my…" the girl rolled her eyes. "If you can't figure it out, I'm not saying anything. Now, we'll be friend but that's it for now… oh, and as a friend, I'm telling you, don't call me 'babe'. If you do, I'll punch you in the throat."

Brimstone laughed. "Alright, there's the Rose I know. But, if I'm not to call you 'babe', what can I call you? Oh, how about Rosie?"

"Rosie… I guess you can call me that." She stood up. "Now, I have to get home, Mom wants me to help her with some stuff."

"Mind if I walk you home?"

"No."

The boy jumped to his feet. "Let's go then… Rosie."**(End Brim's Theme)**

* * *

**(Cue Sera's Theme)**The gummi ship landed in the hanger alongside the X-men's ship, the Blackbird. Blaze stepped outside, waving at those who awaited them: Professor Xavier, Logan, Kurt, Piotr, Scott, and Henry. "Hi there!"

"Good to see you again," Jean smiled. "How have your powers been working?"

"Perfectly. I haven't had any sort of problems with them since I was here last."

The telepath smiled. "Wonderful!"

Everyone paused as Lea exited the ship, leading Sera by the hand. Sera's sightless eyes gazed around, her aura reading everyone. "Um… hello."

"Sera…" Everyones faces lit up at the sight of her, but none more than Kurt and Piotr.

Logan grinned. "Been a long time, kid. Sorry you can't remember us."

"I should be the one apologizing." The blind woman turned her face away. "Blaze and Brim told me how close we were, and I can remember none of it."

Kurt smiled. "Vee understand and vee are fery glad to see you again."

"Sera…" Piotr smiled sadly.

"You must be Piotr." Lea walked over, holding out a hand. "My name is Lea."

The larger man took his hand and shook it. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I must z'ank you for taking care of Sera."

"The pleasure is all mine." The pyro smiled.**(End Sera's Theme)**

* * *

Lea and Sera sat with Professor Xavier; they'd spent the entire day touring the mansion and learning everything they could about the X-Men, mutants, and Sera's past. Blaze was with Logan, running around the place called the Danger Room.

"Professor, thank you so much for letting us visit."

The bald man smiled. "It was no trouble. We were glad to see Sera again and meet you. Now, I asked to speak to you two alone to talk about your daughter."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not at all," the professor shook his head. "I wanted to talk about her powers and training. Blaze is a mutant and while we taught her to control her powers, there is so much more we could teach her. I was wondering if you would like her to come and attend this school."

The parents turned to one another and then back to him. "You want her to come here?"

"I think it would be beneficial to her."

Lea stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I mean, I guess it could work. You have a full school here where she could learn about her abilities too. We could give her a star shard that would allow her to come home whenever she wants to…"

"Lea, I actually like this idea." Sera smiled. "We'll just have to ask Blaze first."

"Ask me what?" Blaze stood in the doorway, cocking her head slightly.

"Well, Blaze…"

* * *

**(Cue Blaze's Theme)**"Get it, Fira!"

Blaze, under her new codename, Fira, jumped onto a mechanical arm, unleashing the full force of her powers into it, frying it all the way through. The arm, which had been holding a girl in it, dropped. "You ok, Jubilee?"

The other girl smiled. "Better now!"

"Hey! A little help here!" A boy fired blasts of solar energy at other metal apparatuses. "Fira! I need a power-up."

"Coming, Sunspot!" Blaze flew into the air, before unleashing brilliant light and power in all directions.

The boy suddenly got a boost in power. "Thanks!"

A minute later, the mechanical arms shut down; Logan and Henry came inside. "Nice work, kids."

"Blaze," Beast looked down at his clipboard. "Your performance and power has increased ever since we discovered your powers to be solar related."

"Yeah, when I go full throttle, I'm basically a mini sun."

"And I'm glad," Sunspot grinned. "When I'm indoors, she's a great help to get my powers at full strength again."

Blaze stretched. "So, that all for the day?"

"Yep. Going to see your family today?"

"Yeah," the girl nodded. "I'm spending the weekend with them."

Henry wagged a pencil at her. "Just remember, you have a test in mutant physiology on Monday."

"I won't forget." The girl ran out of the Danger Room and up to her dorm.

Her roommate, a girl named Hisako Ichiki, codenamed: Armor, sat on her bed, reading. "You leaving?"

"Yep. I'll bring you back some Sea Salt ice cream."

"One day, you need to let me come with you," Hisako put down her book. "I'd love to see your home."

"I'll ask my parents and the professor if it's alright."

"Great!"

Blaze threw a backpack over her shoulders. She gave one last wave to her roommate before heading outside. The moment her feet hit the grass, she pulled out her star shard. Light covered her and she bounced across the sky, towards Radiant Garden. **(End Blaze's theme)**

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**

**I'll be putting up a mmd model of Blaze's X-Men uniform soon.**

**Please Review!**

* * *

**Don't forget to check Kindle for my novel/short story series!**

**Look for the first story: Wingsteel!**

* * *

**The Bible Doesn't Say That: Do not Judge Others**

We've noticed that there are numerous things that people think the Bible says when it doesn't. This particular saying is one we hear ALL THE TIME.

People, Christians and non-Christians, have said "Don't Judge". We're going to look into what the Bible really says about that.

Matthew 7:1-6, "_Judge not, that you be not judged. __**2 **__For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. __**3 **__Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? __**4 **__Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? __**5 **__You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye._

**_6 _**_"__Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."_

Again, we here this all the time. People often will say that Christians are too judgmental. They use the verse I quoted above. So, we shouldn't be judging anyone?

That's not what Jesus means. He means the attitude in how you treat other people.

Did you know that you can judge something without being judgmental? It's all in your attitude. You can disagree with something and say that it's not right, without being mean. You will have to make judgements somewhere: stealing is wrong and if you steal, you did wrong. That is a judgement.

Sometimes people are so quick to judge others but not themselves. If someone says, "don't judge" in the way we hear it, isn't that person being judgmental too? Being intolerant of the ones they say should be tolerant.

That is what Jesus is talking about. In laymen's terms "if you're acting like a mean jerk, people will treat you like a mean jerk". This goes for Christians and non-Christians.

But is Jesus saying we shouldn't make any sort of judgments? That would be ridiculous. We can make judgements about what's right or wrong, but our attitude needs to be in the right place. And we need to show these judgments with love.

When you get disciplined by your parents, are your parents making judgements about what's right and wrong? Yes. You've got to make judgments about certain things; things are wrong and we are supposed to make judgements about them, but again, in love.

Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, "_It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife._**_2 _**_And __you are arrogant! Ought you __not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you._

**_3 _**_For though __absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.__**4 **__When you are assembled __in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,_**_5 _**_you are __to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so __that his spirit may be saved __in the day of the Lord._"

In this situation, a family in church is doing something bad: a man is sleeping with his mother. That's just wrong. And this church has been permitting this action and basically saying it's ok. Guess what they're doing… NOT JUDGING. Paul basically says that it's not ok. Isn't Paul just sooo judgmental?

Those people were not going in the right direction. They were not going towards God and the church wasn't doing anything to help them. That's why Paul said this.

When people are doing wrong and a Christian addresses this, it's not to be mean. It's to steer people in the right direction, away from destruction! This is in and out of the church.

The key to judgement is not to have malice, evil deeds, or be cruel. Walking around screaming "turn or burn" and protesting funerals is the WRONG attitude. This is what Jesus meant by the "plank in your own eye". How many people are actually going to listen to the name-calling and the cruel speech and take it seriously as advice? No one!

Now, there are things that in biblical law is illegal, but it is legal by the law of the land. Yelling at people about it isn't going to work. Now if you love on someone, regardless of what they do you may get the opportunity to respectfully and lovingly tell them that they probably shouldn't doing certain things.

Judgements still have to be made, but watch your attitude.


	40. Chapter 39: Caeleum and Ater Epilogue

**Alright...**

**Here's the next epilogue, but THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VERY SENSITIVE MATERIAL! CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 13, BE ADVISED!**

**Seriously, though...**

**Ok, that's done. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**OCs (c) to me!**

* * *

_**Theme songs:**_

_**Vanitas (he's only got a battle theme): **Rush Garcia- Through the Darkness (Rush Garcia)_

_**Alya: **Angel Beats OST- Unjust Life_

_**Vanette: **Clannad- Nagisa_

_**Ryô: **Rhythmic Song for Relaxed Danging, Yoga and Sports (Martin Herzberg)_

* * *

**Chapter 39: Caeleum and Ater Epilogue**

* * *

Ventus looked down at the paper on his desk. He wondered silently what Ansem would think of his decision, but he had to do this…

"Honey, you ready?" Naminé came inside.

Ven slid the paper under a book. "Yeah, totally. Is Ry back from talking to Blaze?"

"He's waiting for us at the gummi hanger."

"Let's go then."

* * *

Ven looked around Traverse Town; the town had become full of people after a number of years. People who decided to stay around, and new refugees filled the town.

"Dad, where would Vanitas be?"

"Well," Ven sighed. "I did some research and there's a market every Saturday. That's probably where they are. Follow me." He led his family through the streets until they came to the large fountain plaza. Numerous carts, tents and stalls were set up with people shouting for someone to come buy their products.

"We'll never find them in this crowd…"

"Never say never." Naminé pointed to their right. Vanitas stood by part of the fountain, looking at some food stalls. The woman they'd met on the gummi ship, his wife Alya, was at one of the stalls.

Ven cocked an eyebrow; something was off. "Guys, hold on… let's just watch." He cast a spell that would allow him to hear their conversation. "And listen…"

* * *

Vanitas watched his wife look through the vegetable cart, in her hands she held one hundred munny… that was all they had left. His eyes glanced over to his daughter, who stood by another stall, watching a man make dolls. Vanette had never had a proper toy of any kind and he knew she wanted a doll, but…

"Vanitas." Alya turned to him, holding three small potatoes in her hands. "This was all I could buy. I suppose we could each have one and then eat a little until next week's market."

"No, Alya. You and Vanette can have them, I'll find something else to eat." He took the potatoes and put them in a small bag. "Nettie, time to go!"

The little girl came running over, grabbing at her father's sleeve. "Papa! Papa! That man said you don't have to be rich to buy a doll! Please, can we get one?"

Vanitas stared into her eyes, his heart wrenching. They didn't tell their daughter how little munny they had; he didn't want her stressing out even more. "Not today, Nettie. I think we've done enough shopping, but I promise, I will buy you a doll soon. Let's go home."

"A-alright, Papa…" The little girl skipped ahead as the three made their way out of the market.

"We're going to have to tell her soon," Alya sighed. "Especially if no one gives you a job by next week."

"I'll find a job, even if I have to pick up trash, or… I don't care, just something that will pay so you and Vanette don't starve. Once I get a job, we'll buy food, then I'll get you some material to make some new clothes, and then I'll get Vanette that doll."

His wife hugged his arm. "I know you're worried, but don't be. We've been through worse, and we've had less. This world is so much better than Hazy Hamlet. We will be fine, no matter what happens."

"Y-you're right." Vanitas smiled warmly, wrapping an arm around Alya before he kissed her forehead. "Seriously, without you, I'd probably fall into depression or something. Gosh, I love you so much…"

"I love you too…"

* * *

Ven blinked away tears as he listened; a determined smile crossed his face as he turned to his wife and son. "We've got some work to do. Ryô, follow them, but don't be seen, we have to find out where they live. Nami, you and I have some shopping to do…"

* * *

**(Cue Vanitas' Theme)**Vanitas looked around his family's new home. With what few memories he held of his time within Sora, he remembered this place as the house where Sora met some Dalmatians.

It was a nice, and beautiful house, but not one he would've spent money on before. However, this world was a world of refugees and most houses were for rent only. At the time, this was the only house available to buy; Vanitas took the deal because he wanted a roof over his family's head as soon as possible.

However, this decision took most of the munny they'd brought. So, for the last few weeks, they'd lived off scraps, and now they'd spent the last of their munny on potatoes.

But… despite all that, his family was happy. Alya and Vanette saw this place as a magical castle. He could still remember their faces that first day when they stepped into the house…

* * *

_"Wow…" Alya looked around. "This is a large house. It will take quite a few lanterns and candles to light it."_

_Vanitas chuckled, shaking his head. She really had no idea. He reached over and flicked the light switch. The florescent lights overhead flashed into existence. Vanette and Alya gave a small scream of surprise, their eyes riveted on the strange new lights overhead. "Don't worry, Alya, no need for candles."_

_"What are those?"_

_"Lightbulbs," her husband responded. "They basically run on the power of lightning, or as it's called, electricity. I can explain more later since there are a lot of other things that you'll love in this house."_

_He ushered the two girls into the kitchen. Vanette looked around at all the unfamiliar equiptment. "What is this place?"_

_"This is the kitchen."_

_"The kitchen?"_

_"Yes," Vanitas walked over to the stove. "Alya, here's the stove and oven." He gave a quick tutorial on how they worked, but his wife and child were far too amazed at the new technology to really care how it was operated. He also showed them the refrigerator and microwave._

_Vanitas couldn't help but laugh as they fiddled around, trying out all the new appliances. "What's this, Papa?" Vanette reached up towards the kitchen sink, turning the handle. She squeaked when water came pouring from the tap._

_"That's the sink." He reached up and turned the faucet off. "There are a few more of them around the house. That's where you can wash food and wash your hands. Actually, follow me." He led them into the bathroom. "This is another special room."_

_Vanette walked over to the toilet, lifting up the lid and peering inside. "Is this where we get drinking water, Papa?"_

_"No, Nettie." He pointed. "This is where you relieve yourself, into the bowl, then you push that handle and your pee and poop gets sucked down and we never see it again."_

_"Whoa…! And what's this?" She looked at the bathtub before noticing that it had handles and knobs to turn. She reached out and turned one, only for water to spill out, into the tub._

_"That, Vanette, is where you take a bath." He showed her and Alya how to put the stopper in so that the tub filled up, and he showed them how the shower worked._

_That whole day, he sat laughing as his wife and child went around, playing with each and every new device as if each was a magical wand that could give them anything they wanted._

* * *

Now, almost a month later, they were still amazed. Alya was trying to decide between the stove and microwave to cook the potatoes in; both fascinated her and she just couldn't choose.

Vanette sat on the floor, playing fetch with the Flood Unversed, Akame. At the moment, he was her only friend, but that would probably change when the school year started up. For the first time, she would attend school and get a proper education. To say that she was excited would've been an understatement, but Vanitas could see that she was still bummed about not getting that doll she wanted.

Sadly… it couldn't be helped.**(End Vanitas' Theme)**

Suddenly all of their attention was caught by a knock on the door. "Who the heck could that be?"

Vanitas stood up and went to the door. As he pulled it open, his face became annoyed. Ven stood in the doorway, grinning. "Hey there, Vanitas!"

"Go away." He moved to close the door, but Alya stepped in, blocking the door from closing.

"Ventus," She smiled. "I-it's good to see you again. What brings you here?"

The blond man gave her a soft smile. "My family and I came here to see how you were holding up."

"Oh, well thank you. P-please, come inside."

"Thank you, but I might need some help bringing all this inside for you." He stepped aside to reveal fourteen bags of groceries.

"Wh-what is this…!?"

"It's a gift," Ven's smiled widened further. "From my family to yours."

Vanitas began looking through the bags as Ven picked up a handful of books. "Alya, these are some cookbooks. I know most of these ingredients will be foreign to you, so these will help."

"I-I don't know what to say… thank you so much!"

"I'll take these to the kitchen and help bring in the food. My wife and son have something for you and your absolutely adorable daughter."

Naminé walked over to Alya, carrying two boxes. "Hello, Alya. Now, I know on your old world, you probably made your own clothes, so this is for you. This box is full of material to make more clothes for you and your family."

"Thank you!" The woman took the box, setting it down to sift through the fine materials, the best and brightest she'd ever seen.

"There's one other thing." Naminé set the other box on the table. "This will be very helpful to you."

"What is it?"

"It's a sewing machine." The blonde woman pulled the object out of the box.

Alya's eyes grew to the size of saucers and her knees shook. "A-a real sewing machine…? B-but back home, only the richest people could afford one."

"They're fairly cheap here. I hope you like it."

"I love it!" The blue-haired woman embraced Naminé, her tears of joy spilling onto the other woman's shoulder.

Ryô walked over to Vanette, a basket in one hand and a brightly wrapped box under his arm. "Hey there… Vanette was it?"

"Yes sir." The eight-year-old shyly put her arms behind her back.

"My name is Ryô." He set the basket in front of her. "I've got something here for you."

The child knelt down, pushing apart the paper in the basket to pull out a large purple bow. "A bow?"

"A hair bow. You want me to put it in?"

"Yes please!" Vanette turned around, sitting with her back to the older boy.

He reached into the basket and found a pink hairbrush they'd bought for her. The girl sat still as Ryô brushed through her matted black hair, trying to be as gentle as possible. He finished and pinned part of her hair back with the bow. "There you are." He pulled a mirror out and handed it to her. "What do you think, Vanette?"

The girl looked at her reflection, grinning. "I love it! Thank you Ryô!"

"You're welcome, and here." He folded her hands around the mirror. "This is yours too, and this." He laid the pink hairbrush into her hand.

Vanette gasped nearly dropping the mirror. "A HAIRBRUSH!? Mama! Papa! Look! I've got a real hairbrush, just like the rich girls do! I've never had a hairbrush before!" She hugged the object to her chest, as if to never let it go.

Ventus, Naminé, and Ryô watched her. They'd expected her to be so excited about the bows, but not the hairbrush. However, they were happy to see her so overjoyed.

"Vanette, I'm not done. There's one more gift for you." Ryô handed her the wrapped box.

It took the girl a minute to part with her beloved hairbrush, but she eventually put it down and began tearing at the paper. When the wrapping came off, the girl screamed; through the plastic covering of the box underneath, Vanette could see the doll she wanted so badly. "A DOLL! IT'S A DOLL!" Tearing the lid off, she gingerly picked the toy up, cradling it to her chest.

Vanitas watched all this unfold, his eyes watering more an more with each gift given. He didn't even care if Ventus saw him cry as he turned to him. "Th-thank you…"

* * *

Vanitas and Ven sat on the back balcony of the house, each with a cream soda bottle in hand. "Vanitas, I'm so happy you have a family. When you first took off, I was honestly worried about you."

"You didn't need to. I would've been alright."

"I hope you don't mind me saying," Ven chuckled. "Your wife is beautiful."

Vanitas laughed. "Heck yeah she is!" He leaned back. "Seriously, she's the greatest. She knows all of what I did in my past, but she loves me regardless."

"How'd you two meet?"

"Well…" Vanitas bit his lip. "That's not for me to tell. Let's just say that when we met, she was going through Hell… but only she has the right to tell that story."

"I understand. So, what's been the problem with getting a job?"

The other man took a swig of his cream soda. "It's a thing around here. This is a world of refugees, so most jobs are short-term and cheap. I need to get a real job, but they don't give those to anyone but locals or people who live here permanently. That is what we're planning to do, but people don't believe me; refugees have lied about that before. It'll be at least a year before I'm trusted enough to get a real job."

"Dang man," Ven sighed. "Well, that food should last you a while."

"A month at least. We know how to make food last."

Ven gave a smile. "I'm sure you do. I know you'll be fine; your wife seems strong, and if your daughter is anything like you, she'll be fine."

"You're right."

* * *

**(Cue Alya's Theme)**Naminé and Alya stood by the stove, letting the kids play and their husbands catch up on old times.

"So, what is this dish called again?"

"Spaghetti." The blonde woman gently dropped the long noodles into the boiling pot.

Alya stirred the pot of red sauce. "I look forward to trying all these recipes out. It'll be a joy to have more than stew and bread to eat."

"I am happy that you are happy." Naminé smiled. "We were surprised to find out he had a family of his own."

"I know about his past. He told me everything and I love him still; to Vanette, he's a hero."

Naminé began sauteeing meatballs in a pan. "I was wondering, Alya, how did you and Vanitas meet?" Alya's face turned pale and a sad expression; Naminé instantly regretted her question. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's alright. I-I just haven't been asked that before. I don't mind telling you, only because I have grown from my past, but I will warn you, it is not a good story." The woman continued to stir the pot of sauce. "When I was a child, my mother, Father, and I lived in a small house in Hazy Hamlet. One day, when I was little, slavers took my mother away; my father went after her and never came back. I lived alone for a few years until some soldiers came to my house one day…" The woman paused, taking a deep breath. "They would return many nights and they… they would… r-rape me. This went on for years and years; I gave birth to two sons, both of which were murdered minutes after birth."

"Oh my gosh…"

"One day, I found Vanitas, sleeping under a tree." Alya continued, voice unchanged. "I offered to let him stay with me since I wanted to be kind, and I thought that he couldn't do anything more to me than what those men had done to me already. That night, the men returned; Vanitas came out and rescued me, driving them away. The next day he offered to stay and protecting, asking for nothing in return except for a place to sleep and food to eat. After a year, one thing led to another and we got married. Vanette came a few years later." The woman gave a warm smile. "I know it's not a happy tale, but what came out of it was joy. I have a home and a loving family and I have become strong due to what I've endured."

"No one should have to go through that…"

"I know," Alya let out a sigh. "I'm glad that this world is safe and that Braig is gone, so that my homeworld will never allow that sort of horror again."

"You're right."

Alya took a small taste of the sauce. "Well… I think that the sauce is done, but I wouldn't know, so what do you think?" The other woman took a taste. "So?"

"That's perfect!"**(End Alya's Theme)**

* * *

**(Cue Vanette's Theme)**Vanette sat on the floor of the living room, combing the hair of her new doll. Ryô sat nearby, watching her. "So, do you like it here, Vanette?"

"Yeah! It darker here, but it feels happier than my old home." Her eyes glimmered happily. "And Papa doesn't have to make Mama and I hide in the attic to get away from bad people. This world is safer, according to Papa."

Ryô gave a wide grin. "He's right. You'll be safe here. So, are you going to go to school?"

"Yeah! Only rich boys got to go to school at our old home. Papa says I can be anything here!"

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Don't know," the little girl shrugged. "I thought I was going to just stay at home and be a homemaker, like Mama. I could still do that, but I want to try something else too." Vanette giggled. "Papa says I should be good in school. He taught me and Mama how to read and write, and he taught me some math and science too."

The boy nodded. "That's wonderful."

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know either," Ryô shrugged. "I'm almost a grown up and I have no idea."

Both of them laughed. The girl felt something pawing at her leg; she looked down, to see the little Unversed, Akame, scratching at her. "Oh, what is it, Akame? Do you want attention?" The Flood pushed her arm with the doll down, pushing the toy away. "Hey! What's gotten into you!?"

"I think he's jealous." Ryô chuckled. "He thinks you're replacing him with the doll."

Vanette took her doll in one arm and picked up the Flood in the other. "Don't worry, Akame. You'll always be my best friend." Akame looked up, nuzzling against the girl.

"So, what are you going to name the doll?"

"Hmm…" she giggled. "I want to name her something special… how about Jewel?! The first thing I saw when I came here was a sign for a jewelry store."

"That's wonderful." He reached out to pet Akame; the creature allowed him to scratch behind his antenna. "So, Vanette, what's your favorite thing about this new house?"

"The bathtub!" Both of them laughed, but the girl took a serious expression. "Hey, you don't understand until you have to go to the river and carry buckets of water to the house, boil the water over the fire, and then wait until your parents have finished bathing to take your turn and by then the water is cold."

"Ok, Ok… I guess the bathtub would be a blessing after that."

"Yep!"

Alya's voice rang out. "Supper's ready!"

"Foood!"**(End Vanette's Theme)**

* * *

"What do you mean you're not staying?"

Ven smiled. "That food is for your family and you need it. We have a roast cooking at home, so we'll just go back for dinner. You guys enjoy your food and your new home."

"Well, thank you… for everything." Vanitas stepped forward, shaking Ven's hand. The two men shared a respectful smile with absolutely no malice or even feelings of annoyance between them.

"No problem, and if you need anything, anything at all, let anyone of us know, we'll be willing to help."

"I will, thank you…"

* * *

Ven and his family sat around the dinner table, eating their dinner. The man looked down at the sheet of paper he'd slipped under his placemat.

"Ry, Nami,I need to talk to you…"

"What's up Dad?"

"This…" He slid the paper over where they could see the paper.

Naminé looked at him in surprise. "You want to resign from the guard?"

"Just, hear me out." Ven pushed his plate to the side, as he looked between his wife and son. "Ry, you told me what happened on my homeworld, with my parents. I've been thinking… I chose to not take the throne of Tech Town, but if I had, would have Tene Bris taken over?"

"You can't blame yourself."

The man sighed. "I know, but I can't help but think… I decided not to do it because I didn't want the responsibility. I was scared of being ruler of an entire world." He laughed lightly. "How sad is that? My parents went from not being able to take care of me as an infant to becoming rulers of the world. Talk about a change of responsibilities, and I was too scared. Well, no more. I'm going to take the throne and become king of Tech Town. Well, only if you two are behind me on it."

Naminé and Ryô sat silently before both smiling. "Of course."

"We're behind you all the way!"

Ventus' eyes glittered happily. "Wonderful! I'll let Lord Ansem know tomorrow."

* * *

"By the powers invested in me, I name you King Ventus Caeleum."

The crowd cheered as Ventus stood up, a golden crown upon his head, dressed in full ceremonial armor. Naminé and Ryô stood to his right with Ven's parents: Solomon and Victoria on his left with Naminé's parents: Richard and Lisa beside them.

Ryô looked around; their whole lives would be different from this moment on, but maybe that wasn't so bad.

* * *

**(Cue Ryô's Theme)**"My prince," the elf Luna stood in the doorway to Ryô's room.

The boy looked up from his studies. "Come in Luna."

Luna came inside, bowing to him. "I have come to introduce your bodyguards." Two boys who looked human, except they had long pointed ears, came inside. They both bowed. "This is Michael and Gabriel."

"Nice to meet you." Ryô looked at the female elf. "Luna, not to seem rude, but I though you would be my bodyguard, like when I was a kid."

Her ears lowered slightly, out of sadness. "I would, but the king has given me a new mission. Actually, I asked for it. I'm going after Lyla; she's my best friend, and I can't leave her out there."

"If you don't mind me saying," Michael spoke up, "I am glad she's going. If she wasn't, I would be… Lyla was my girlfriend before the… incident."

"Oh," Ryô nodded. "I'm sorry… I wish I could've done something to help Lyla. Luna, please bring her home."

"I will, my prince."

The three elves bowed before leaving. Ryô turned to his desk, flipping on the screen, and typing in a set of numbers. A few moments later, Blaze's face appeared onscreen. "Hey Blaze."

"_Hey, Ry. How's the life of royalty treating you_?"

"I've only been a prince for twenty-four hours and the courtiers have already set a stack of books in front of me. They basically said 'here's what you need to study even though you won't be king for forty years'." They both laughed.

The girl sighed. "_You're training to be king and I'm training to kick butt with my mutant powers. Aren't we a pair._"

"Yeah," the boy smiled. "It's so good to talk to you again… I miss you."

"_I miss you too. Hey I'm going to come visit you next week._"

"That's great!" Ryô jumped as a knock sounded on his door. "Oh, hey, I've gotta go. See you soon!"

He shut off the screen as Blaze waved goodbye. Ventus opened his son's door, Naminé beside him, smiling. "Ry, time to go. We've got to prepare for the banquet tonight."

"Coming Dad!" The new king, Queen, and prince went down the stairs, their new life awaiting them.**(End Ryô's Theme)**

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. **

**I know, Alya's story was sad, and it was hard to write... but if you want the full story of Alya and Vanitas please check out my story "Tales of Vanitas". **

**Please Review!**

* * *

**Don't forget to check Kindle for my novel/short story series!**

**Look for the first story: Wingsteel!**

* * *

**The Bibles Doesn't Say That God Won't Give You More Than You Can Handle**

Have any of you heard that?

People saying that God won't give you more than you can handle?

Well, that's wrong. This idea comes from 1 Corinthians 10:13, "_No temptation has overtake you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it._"

Ok, let's look at this verse. People hear "God won't let you be tempted beyond what you can endure". Is that the same thing as "He won't give you more than you can handle"? No.

Temptation is the desire to do wrong. It is everywhere and we are all tempted. God says in every temptation, there is a way out, that we can get out without sinning. Do people use that way out always?

No.

You will never be put in a situation where you have to sin. That's a myth in it's own, and it's busted.

But God will give you more than you can handle. Why, so we can learn to rely on him. What people should say is "God will give you more than you can endure, but he'll help you".

People go through stuff they can't handle all the time: depression, loss of a loved one, etc. While these things seem overwhelming, when we lean on God and ask for him to help us through it, he'll guide us through and he'll give us the strength to endure it.

We cannot handle everything on our own.

That's why he allows us to go through that, so we can learn to trust and lean on him. He knows we can't take care of it alone, so he steps in, when we ask, and helps us.

You never have to go through something alone. God is always there to help you through, esppecially when it's something you can't handle by yourself.


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